


For Everything a Reason

by greek_tragedy



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), EXO (Band), Mamamoo, Monsta X (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), Super Junior, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: A+ Parenting, Action, Actor Kim Seokjin | Jin, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Asexual Character, Asexual Kim Taehyung | V, Astrology, Bisexual Male Character, Chemical Weapons, Coffee Shops, College, Cuddling & Snuggling, Divorced parents, Family Secrets, Flirting, Fluff, Forests, Friends to Lovers, Frontotemporal Dementia, Gardens & Gardening, Herbology, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Journalism, LGBTQ Character, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Magic, Maknae line, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Motorcycles, Multi, Murder Mystery, Mutual Pining, Newspapers, Park Jimin Is a Sweetheart, Piercings, Psychological Warfare, Reality TV, Romance, Science Experiments, Secret Organizations, Small Towns, Spells & Enchantments, Territory, Tragedy, Underage Drinking, Unethical Experimentation, Unresolved Tension, Verbal Abuse, Werewolves, Witches, Yoongi is a witch, cottage, countryside, farming, lethal injections, mass muder, outcasts, outsiders - Freeform, secret council, serial muders, small town history, yoonmin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 10:38:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 46,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14306880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greek_tragedy/pseuds/greek_tragedy
Summary: "The inside was incredulous, even more beautiful than the outside. Jimin swallowed loudly. As he stepped over into the house he felt a shiver run down his spine only to realize he was breaking and entering into a strange house in the woods that he was told not to wander into."...Or Jimin breaks into Yoongi's house in the forest and finds out that Yoongi is actually a witch. Featuring a socially inept Jungkook, an overachieving (asexual/aromantic) Taehyung, rising actor Seokjin, intellectual nerd Namjoon and street dancer Hoseok.





	1. Proverbial Run to the Golden Life

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this story for ages and now that I am (relatively) free for the summer I can actually write it! The title is a reference to the song For Everything a Reason by Carina Round - similarly, every chapter will be titled after a song title. That doesn't mean it links to the chapter but it might. Also, the story deals with some pretty heavy topics such as verbal abuse, underage drinking, implied suicide, mental health issues, etc. so be warned.

_Isn’t it funny how I could die out here and nobody would even know? _Jimin knew it wasn’t funny. He couldn’t believe himself. He knew the kind of person he was, he knew the things he was capable of and the fact that his way of thinking was never fit for the small town he lived in. That was clear when he moved to live with his grandmother when he was just nine years old. Moving from the big city to a small town was certainly a difficult time in his life and it truly shaped Jimin into the person he was today. But this, this went beyond all the stupid things Jimin and his friends ever did before.__

____

He was currently walking through the thick foliage of the forest that bordered the city. His arms pushed the low hanging branches out of the way and he had to make sure to lift his feet higher than he would normally in order not to trip. The air seemed sweeter in the forest, cleaner despite the fact that Jimin’s town was a farming town that hasn’t been industrialised yet. Jimin shivered in his hoodie and he felt his toes grow cold inside his old, ratty pair of trainers. _Probably not a good idea for a walk in the woods, _Jimin thought as he wrapped his skinny arms around himself as a way to protect himself from the cold.__

______ _ _

It was early morning, barely six, and the sun was meekly peeking through the leaves of the trees that surrounded him. Jimin loved the forest, it was his favourite place to go and write in his journal and even to watch movies with his friends. Taehyung’s father owned a projector which meant that their Friday night movie sessions moved to the forest. Not too far in, of course, but far enough for the boys to feel like they were on an adventure. Jimin never walked in too deep, his grandmother drilled that into him. You mustn’t wander too far, dear, you never know what you could find in there and you might regret it for a very long time. Even remembering her warnings, he could hear her voice booming in his ears in that lovely yet eerie tone she used to address him in. Back when she was coherent, anyway. 

______ _ _

But now Jimin felt like such warnings didn’t matter anymore, he didn’t care whether he would stumble across a wild animal or whether he would fall into a hole and die. His eyes welled up with tears as he ducked under a thicker branch. Walking this far into the forest meant not thinking about the things going on at home, it meant taking a break from his daily life and trying something new so when thoughts of his grandmother swarmed his mind, he couldn’t help but sob into the fabric of his hoodie. He kept walking, not wanting to stop for a pity cry. Instead, he focused on the forest. He watched the sun rays dance on the ground and the way the moss on the trees swayed in the wind. Jimin noticed the way the broad oak trees stood tall against the smaller trees and the rest of the vegetation, the way they towered over one another and the way their greenery came in different shades, shades he couldn’t even fathom before. 

______ _ _

To say that Jimin loved being in nature was an understatement. Growing up in the city, the only trees he saw were the ones in planter boxes and the only flowers he encountered were the ones at the florist shop by his school. When he moved in with his grandmother he couldn’t even comprehend the fact that he lived in such close proximity to a forest full of trees and flowers and animals, let alone that his backyard housed more nature than he has ever seen before. It was the same nature he took care of daily now, he watered and weeded the plants and even talked to them when nobody was around. Which was pretty often given that he lived alone with his grandmother on their small farm. At first, their humble hundred acre farm was perfect for Jimin. It meant he had enough space to run around with the dogs and chase away the chickens he now fed every morning and evening. But now, the small farm was just another chore, a chore he didn’t particularly hate but a chore he wished he could pass on to someone else from time to time. 

______ _ _

As he walked further into the woods, he started noticing little plants he saw in his grandmother’s books. Pressed flowers and greenery she said she collected over the years. Jimin remembered sitting with his grandmother in their cosy yet spacious living room the day he moved in. That day was so ingrained into his memory that he could even remember what he wore and what he ate that morning. The drive from Seoul was long and tedious for a nine-year-old so the moment their car came to a halt he sprinted out and took in the sight. He marvelled at the barn behind the house, a small white barn that used to house three beautiful ponies that turned into Jimin’s playhouse when they had to sell all the animals. His eyes wandered from the barn to the big trees that sheltered the two storey house. His heart began beating faster when he eyed the swing hanging from the tallest tree on their front lawn. The rest of the day was spent by the fire, drinking hot cocoa and looking through pictures of his deceased grandfather. His grandfather died that spring and Jimin’s mother decided it would do both her son and her mother a whole world of good if Jimin moved in with her. Jimin agreed at first, big city bullies couldn’t get to him in the countryside and it meant that he could reinvent himself. 

______ _ _

That September he made a big group of friends whom he still hung out with from time to time. But he also met his two best friends, Jungkook and Taehyung. At first, they were all joined at the hip. They never went anywhere without each other and soon enough, the whole town knew of the trio. That, of course, came with a period of pranks that the community didn’t appreciate, it came with a period of smoking and hanging out in dubious places and at nineteen, a decade after his arrival, Park Jimin settled into his small town persona of the sweet boy who takes care of his sick grandmother. He didn’t mind that persona, it was the closest to his actual personality and it was the truth. His life revolved around his grandmother so much that it simply became a part of his personality. 

______ _ _

Of course, others helped, his grandparents lived here for so long, everybody knew them so when Jimin’s grandmother fell sick, everyone pitched in. Neighbours invited them to lunch every Sunday after church and he got the evenings to himself from time to time when the knitting club gathers at their house. But there’s so much Jimin can ask from such a small community without feeling like he is taking advantage of their goodwill. So Jimin tends not to ask for help, instead, he feeds and bathes his grandmother, he takes her out for walks daily and deep cleans the house every week. He has even taken to reading her old journals and her favourite books at night when she can’t sleep due to the pain. It all made Jimin very happy, he loved taking care of the woman who took care of him. He felt like he could give back all the things she gave him but her fast deterioration was making it hard to be around her. She was slowly losing her memory and sometimes she could talk in circles for hours. She would wake up happy and by the time she stumbled out of her room, she would be angry about the weirdest things such as the picture frames seeming out of order or the coffee pot being too hot. Nothing made sense to her anymore, she was losing her mind and in turn, driving Jimin insane. He felt bad even thinking like this, he loved taking care of her but sometimes it just got to be too much and he couldn’t handle it. 

______ _ _

Sighing, Jimin stopped and breathed in the cold morning air, trying to remember that the reason why he was walking through the forest alone at an ungodly hour was to empty his mind. Shaking all thoughts from his head, he opened his eyes again and focused back on his surroundings. He looked ahead at the stream bank running through the forest. The water was clear, free from pollution and the vegetation around it was lush and green. Flowers that looked like violets seeped through the soil and bordered the stream and the bigger rocks strewn about were covered in moss. Walking closer to the stream, he breathed in the clean air and watched the fishes scatter about. Jimin wasn’t sure what he expected when he decided to venture into the forest. Probably mountain lions, which in retrospect made no sense, or by the way it was described to him by his grandmother, goblins. Giggling, he shoved his hands in his pockets and twirled around freely. He was happy to find out that there were no goblins roaming around the forest. 

______ _ _

“Why haven’t I done this before?” he whispered to himself as he plopped down onto the wet grass. He could kiss his blue jeans goodbye but the view and the atmosphere was worth the ruined jeans. The running water, the birds singing and the leaves shaking in the breeze filled his ears and for the first time in the past two years, he felt truly alive. Nothing could compare to the feeling of being alone in nature. It was scary yet exciting and somewhat calming. Jimin placed his hand over his heart and focused on how his heartbeat felt against his palm. It felt good, he felt alive again. 

______ _ _

The weather was nice too, despite the biting cold, the sun was out and the sky was perfectly blue. Thankfully it was a Saturday which meant their next door neighbour would take care of his grandmother so he didn’t feel too bad about being out in the forest. He had nothing better to do, except studying for his impending finals but he knew he wasn’t going to get into the third year of university, there were always so many things to do, school was never on Jimin’s priority list. His parents didn’t understand either, or they didn’t want to understand, he wasn’t sure, so he was on his own most of the time. 

______ _ _

Sighing again, he got up and wiped his butt a few times. He knew his jeans were probably green, but it was time to go. Across the stream, the forest continued and the tree line from where he was seemed to ascend, the trees grew taller and taller the deeper he got into the forest. Thankfully, there was a small bridge made out of solid wood across the stream, otherwise, his jeans and shoes were really going to be ruined. Jimin smiled at himself as he walked across the bridge and looked down into the water. One of the fishes seemed to have stopped to look back at him. Jimin waved softly and the orange fish swam away. 

______ _ _

The forest wasn’t huge, it was Jimin who was slow. He took his time to look at everything from the weird plants that peeked at him as he passed by to the funny looking birds following his steps; the deeper he got into the forest the more he felt like he was being watched. Jimin couldn’t shake off the feeling as he bent down to look at a peculiar plant, he could feel eyes on the back of his neck. Stop psyching yourself out, man. Jimin told himself as he moved a low hanging branch out of the way. 

______ _ _

Soon enough he pushed through past a wall of thick, green leaves until he stopped dead in his tracks. A cool feeling washed over him and made his eyes water slightly. Ahead of him was a big cottage surrounded by a white picket fence. The house was big for a traditional cottage. The grey stone was still wet from the rain and the moss that seeped through the cracks was of the deepest shade of green. The windows were big, some of them were painted by hand, probably by a child given the youthful images of the sun and the trees. The front door reminded Jimin of an interactive children’s book and the chimney puffed out a solid stream of smoke. The sight seemed to be a painting on a canvas or a page ripped out of a fairytale book. 

______ _ _

Jimin couldn’t move from where he was standing. His mouth was dry and his eyes ran all over the place, trying to take in the shocking scenery. He had a hard time believing that this was real and not just his imagination running wild once again. That happened before, he would lay outside in the sun and imagine a completely different life. The images in his head were so real that sometimes they scared him and this was no different. The cottage was grand and as beautiful as it was terrifying. Everyone in the village said that there was nobody living in the forest, people would be aware of such a big, beautiful house, right? Jimin pinched himself and flinched when he felt the pain shoot up his arm. 

______ _ _

Taking a step forward, he felt his body move freely through the overgrown grass. He noticed the feather-like lightness in his movements as he approached the house as though he was in a trance. Jimin’s mind was slowly going blank as he took in the cottage and all its glory. The front yard was cute as well, with little garden gnomes stuck in different positions and a big array of different plants bordering the fence. He felt dizzy with excitement as he pushed open the gate and walked along the cobblestones towards the front door. All sense had left him by then and he gently pushed the door which opened easily at contact with Jimin’s fingers to reveal the inside of the cottage. 

______ _ _

The inside was incredulous, even more beautiful than the outside. Jimin swallowed loudly. As he stepped over into the house he felt a shiver run down his spine only to realize he was breaking and entering into a strange house in the woods that he was told not to wander into. Even with that thought in mind, he couldn't peel his eyes off his surroundings. The room was big and spacious with two mismatched couches - one of purple velvet and one of white, tattered leather - on the left wall. The glass coffee table was scratched and full of old books and a half-empty coffee mug was perched on an open diary which was kept open by the weight of the mug. The lighting fixture was pretty too, a tiny fruit crate over a big bulb hanging down from the ceiling and the rug was one of those cosy Persian rugs Jimin's grandmother used to collect when he was a young boy. The living room was divided by a bookcase made out of faded crates filled with what looked like tomes. Jimin noticed how the walls were an off-white and the fireplace was made out of red brick, much like his grandmother’s fireplace. In fact, exactly like his grandmother’s fireplace! The shape and the brick sizes were the same and even the inside which was slightly burnt and ashy looked similar. 

______ _ _

As he walked past the living room and into the kitchen he realised that it had started raining buckets outside. _Damn it, how will I get home in this weather? _Jimin worried as he took in the counters which were clean despite the abundance of herbs in mugs filled with water and the inside garden that was perched by the window in a small wooden box. The stove looked old and so did the fridge, they were possibly a set but they were too faded for Jimin to recognize. The thing that grabbed his attention the most was the big cauldron hanging above a small fire pit to the right end of the kitchen. The fire was roaring quietly and the liquid inside was a solid bubblegum pink. Biting his lip and shifting uncomfortably on his feet, he finally noticed the pungent bubblegum smell that wafted through the whole house. _What the hell did I walk into? _He asked himself as he slowly approached the cauldron but before he could get to it —____

_________ _ _ _ _ _

“Who the hell are you?”

_________ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts are in _italics ___


	2. The Kids Don't Wanna Come Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uh, um -” Jimin put his hands up and smiled sheepishly, trying to look innocent. “I’m sorry for breaking in, I just got really curious. I thought no one lives in these woods so I let myself in. I’m Jimin, by the way. Park Jimin.” The other man watched him carefully with clear distaste. _Of course, he’s weary you dumbass, you broke into his house and now you’re trying to suck up to him! _Jimin thought as he bounced on his toes. The man’s frown deepened as though he was thinking really hard about something. _Yeah, he’s probably thinking of a thousand ways to kick your ass! _Jimin’s conscience yelled at him. “Uh, anyway, I’ll go now!”____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts are in _italics ___

Jimin jumped when he heard the loud voice coming from the door. He swallowed the lump in his throat as a relatively short blonde man approached him with long strides and a deep frown on his face. His steps seemed to shake the ground as he came closer to Jimin who shrunk down into himself a little. Jimin wanted to defend himself or at least to explain why he broke into the stranger’s house. Maybe he could lie and say that he wanted to shield himself from the rain but for some reason, he knew the other man would be able to tell that he was lying. Instead, Jimin was frozen in place as the man reached him. He was definitely frightening with his broad shoulders and confident posture, despite the smooth skin and the beautiful blue eyes. 

“Uh, um -” Jimin put his hands up and smiled sheepishly, trying to look innocent. “I’m sorry for breaking in, I just got really curious. I thought no one lives in these woods so I let myself in. I’m Jimin, by the way. Park Jimin.” The other man watched him carefully with clear distaste. _Of course, he’s weary you dumbass, you broke into his house and now you’re trying to suck up to him! _Jimin thought as he bounced on his toes. The man’s frown deepened as though he was thinking really hard about something. _Yeah, he’s probably thinking of a thousand ways to kick your ass! _Jimin’s conscience yelled at him. “Uh, anyway, I’ll go now!”____

__

____

“It’s fine, you can stay,” the man said after he caught Jimin’s wrist as he was trying to leave. “It’s raining too heavily for you to go now.” Jimin was sweating profusely as he listened to the man’s deep, beautiful voice. At first, he didn’t even realise what the man was saying, he was just enchanted by his voice and how smooth and deep it was.  
“Uh, thanks…” Jimin muttered and scratched the back of his neck shyly. He didn’t know if that was a good idea. The man could be dangerous, _I mean, who lives in the middle of the forest anymore? Probably serial killers! _Jimin thought and flinched at the chill that ran down his spine. He wasn’t sure whether he should let his mind wander in that direction, he didn’t want to psych himself out and possibly put himself in danger because he was too on edge. The two men stared at each other for a bit, the sweet-scented air was awkward and tense and the strange man looked like he was analysing Jimin from his head to his toes. Until he seemed to completely relax - his shoulder dropped and his posture changed as he gave Jimin somewhat of a smile.__

____

“Take a seat, do you want something to drink?” The man asked as he walked towards one of the many cabinets in the kitchen. “I have tea and coffee and I’m pretty sure I have hot chocolate somewhere around here…” He muttered as he opened a bunch of cabinets, clearly looking for the cocoa powder. Jimin admired the man’s figure as he walked freely around the kitchen. _He’s way too good looking for someone who lives in the woods. _Jimin thought before declining the offer. He wasn’t sure whether to accept or not but he wanted to be safe, who knows, maybe the man was actually dangerous and this was his pre-murder persona. Jimin shivered at the thought.__  
“My name’s Min Yoongi, by the way.” Jimin’s brain began working really fast when he heard Yoongi’s name. Memories of when he was younger, probably fourteen or fifteen years old, flooded back. His eyes grew wide when he remembered Yoongi who was filling up a pot of water and stirring in the cauldron at the same time.  
“Yoongi as in Hoseok’s Yoongi?” Jimin asked and Yoongi chuckled.

__

____

“I don’t belong to him but yeah, I guess,” he muttered as he poured boiling water into a bright yellow mug. He then added a small tea bag, two teaspoons of sugar and covered the mug with a flowery tea plate. Jimin bit his lip in thought, thinking that some tea would probably be good given how cold he actually was. Instead, he watched the older boy sit down in the small breakfast nook by the bookshelf that separated the living room from the kitchen area. “Aren’t you going to sit down?” 

“Uh, yeah, sure…” Jimin blushed at the fact that he was standing in the middle of a stranger’s kitchen and just staring creepily at him. Jungkook would have so many things to say about that, Jimin wasn’t actually sure if he should tell his friends about all of this but the jokes that would come out of the situation are a clear indication that he shouldn’t tell anyone. Maybe Yoongi will tell Hoseok and Namjoon, he thought as he sat down across from Yoongi. 

“So tell me why you’re really here,” Yoongi said and smiled softly to himself when he spooked Jimin out of his thoughts. “I’m sure you’re not here just because you wanted to check out my house.” 

“Of course not,” Jimin ducked his head in shame. “It sounds really weird when you put it like that! I just couldn’t sleep so I decided to check out the forest and I found this place so I got curious and -” 

“Relax, I’m just picking on you.” Yoongi laughed at Jimin’s enraged expression. The younger boy looked really out of place in Yoongi’s house. He was tense and withdrawn, definitely too quiet and Yoongi didn’t like that - he wanted Jimin to feel comfortable. Or as comfortable as possible, anyway. Yoongi thought as he went to pick up his tea and sat back down again. “Is this your first time in these woods then?” 

“Yeah, which is why I was so curious about your house. In fact, nobody ever mentioned this place or the fact that you live here. You do live here, right?” 

“I do and not a lot of people know about it. I try not to come into town too much, only when I run out of food or when I have to run errands.” Jimin nodded quietly before he heard a loud ‘meow’ and a big, beautiful Bengal cat zoomed past his legs and into Yoongi’s arms. The blonde man cooed happily at the cat as they began cuddling furiously. Jimin watched and smiled at the scene unfolding before his eyes. He never thought Yoongi would be a cat person, let alone a person who lives in the woods by himself and owns a big ass cauldron. Speaking of the cauldron… Jimin’s eyes shifted towards the said cauldron. He eyed it carefully, unsure of what to make of it in relation to Yoongi. When he returned his gaze to the blonde boy and his cat he realized that Yoongi was observing him. His eyes were soft and so was his smile as he ran his hand down the cat’s back and over its tail. 

“I see you like my cauldron,” he said with a hint of amusement behind his voice. He then watched Jimin begin to stutter. 

“Uh, what, no -” Jimin began speaking as his face was heating up by the minute. His palms were sweaty so he wiped them on his jeans. “I mean, okay, yes. Why do you have a cauldron?” Yoongi laughed and the cat nudged his chin with it’s brown, wet nose. 

“Why wouldn’t I have one?” He asked, clearly messing with the younger boy who was shyly looking at his feet instead of looking at Yoongi. 

“That’s not fair,” the younger boy whined and Yoongi smiled a big gummy smile. He always found Jimin and his friends endearing. He used to hang out with his friends, smoking behind the school and this one time they heard voices which was weird given how small their school was and that everybody was too nice and preppy to smoke and ditch class. He then saw Jimin and his friends, only three years younger than him sneak out of the bathroom window and landing a couple of feet away from Yoongi. The three were giggling, clearly excited at the prospect of ditching class. “What are you, some kind of witch?” 

“What would you say if I told you that I am a witch?” Yoongi asked before taking a sip of his tea. 

“I would tell you that witches do not exist,” Jimin said with a smile which faded slightly when Yoongi shook his head. The kitty was now burrowed into her owner’s arms and sleeping carelessly against his stomach. Jimin kind of wanted to pet it but he knew very well that cats aren’t like dogs. He has many scars to prove it.  
“Keep an open mind, Jimin,” Yoongi said then smiled to himself as he looked out of the window. The rain was pouring beautifully down the stained glass on one of the windows and Jimin had to give it to Yoongi, he had a very beautiful house. The whole cottage had so much character, it was almost as if it came out of a fairytale. Jimin still couldn’t believe that he stumbled across it just wandering through the woods. He was also kind of regretting not venturing into the forest before.  
Jimin looked away from Yoongi who went back to staring at him as though he was reading into Jimin’s soul. Instead, the younger boy focused on his surroundings. He noticed piles of books everywhere, fiction and non-fiction and he wondered if these were all Yoongi’s but he was pretty sure they weren’t. No sane person would be able to buy that many books in only twenty-two years. _They must be passed down, I guess, they do look kind of old. _He thought as he eyed the closest mountain of books. This one was classic literature - thanks to his brother he had read many classics in the last couple of years.__

____

“You like reading?” Yoongi asked, snapping Jimin out of his thoughts. The younger looked up and smiled. 

____

“I guess you could say that - my brother majored in literature so he passed down his old books to me.” 

____

“My mother left me all these books,” Yoongi said as the kitty jumped from his lap and wandered off. He pulled his knees up to his chest and held the mug in between his hands as Jimin was enthralled by the image. Yoongi looked like one of the pictures on Jungkook’s bedroom wall. Jungkook was never the type to have posters of naked women on his walls, instead, he showcased his photography in his room and Yoongi was straight out of Jungkook’s art. 

____

“Have you read them all?” Jimin asked as he gave the pile another look and immediately spotting at least three books that he enjoyed in the past. 

____

“I’m making my way through them, to be honest, some of them don’t interest me all that much. My mum was a big history buff so there are a lot of history books upstairs and my dad was into science fiction which I don’t really care for...” Yoongi reached over and picked up a copy of Blasted by Sarah Kane. “Then there are books like these which I would love to get rid of but I feel bad to just throw away.”  
Jimin giggled at Yoongi’s disgusted expression. He reached for the book and Yoongi handed it to him. Reading the back, he understood why Yoongi hated the thing. 

____

“Yeah, I get it,” he said and they both laughed. “So you don’t like the history books?”

____

“Not really, I’m more of a romance novel type of guy,” Yoongi answered and shrugged his shoulders. “My mum didn’t like romance though so I’m constantly searching for new ones.”

____

“My gran has a library full of romance novels,” Jimin scoffed. “I do take offence though.”  
Yoongi raised his eyebrow. “Why?

____

“I’m a history buff - I study world history at university,” Jimin said with a smile and Yoongi nodded. 

____

“Well, no offence then, but they make me drowsy,” Yoongi said and laughed when Jimin pouted. “So what’s your favourite classic?” Jimin breathed out, thinking. His brother gave him a lot of books when he came to visit the year before. 

____

“Uh, I’m not sure. I think Orlando by Virginia Woolf?” He asked himself as Yoongi watched him. “Yeah, I think that’s my favourite.” 

____

“I never read that one - ” Yoongi said as he swirled his tear around his mug. 

____

“I can lend it to you,” Jimin said and Yoongi nodded. 

____

Yoongi smiled and Jimin ducked his head again, feeling his heart racing inside his chest. He felt like a stupid schoolboy again, having crushes on older guys and making a fool of himself. _Get your shit together, Jimin, you’re acting like an idiot! _Jimin thought and swallowed the lump in his throat. Looking up, he saw Yoongi flipping through a book whilst sipping on his tea. I’m screwed, Jimin’s heart dropped as he watched Yoongi carefully. He reminded Jimin of poetry and paintings in an art gallery, as mushy as that sounds, it was true. Yoongi who lived in a beautiful cottage in the woods, who owned piles and piles of books and raised his own herbs. Yoongi who was cuddled up on a chair with his gorgeous cat and a hot cup of tea, just reading, reminded Jimin of pretty things, things he would like to feel all the time.__

______ _ _

The rest of the morning was spent like that, talking about books and music and art. Jimin never thought that making small talk with a stranger would interest him but after three hours of downpour, sitting by a roaring fire and just talking to Yoongi he felt like he could finally breathe again. The older boy was funny and interesting, he talked about books and animals and his garden with such glee that even Jimin who loved all those things felt overwhelmed. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made his heart beat faster because Yoongi was so happy talking about the things that he likes. 

______ _ _

Jimin also got to pet the kitty, whose name turned out to be Moony. Apparently, Yoongi’s mum found the kitten when she was in town during a full moon thus the name - Jimin really fell in love with Moony who was more of a lap cat than his own cat ever was. He let Jimin pet his chin and behind his ears as he lounged across Yoongi’s legs. It felt nice, just being there with Yoongi and Moony, it felt new and exciting but relaxing and cosy at the same time and in the end, he accepted a cup of tea which Yoongi made with mint leaves from his own herb garden. 

______ _ _

“I should go,” Jimin said tiredly, it was already three in the afternoon and the rain just stopped pouring. Jimin stretched out and Moony walked over his legs to bump Jimin’s chest. 

______ _ _

“Do you know how to get back?” Yoongi asked and began laughing when he saw Jimin’s eyes widen. “Alright, I’ll take you back into town then.” 

______ _ _

As they both got up, Jimin turned around slightly and touched his face. He was sure that Yoongi will remember him because of how red his face has been the whole morning.  
“Thanks.” He mumbled and Yoongi smiled. When they left the house the fresh, slightly warm air hit Jimin in the face and suddenly he felt overwhelmed again. He was dreading going back home but he walked with Yoongi anyway. The cottage was slowly fading away as they walked together and Jimin was grateful for Yoongi being there with him because he would have never made it home again - especially with his bad navigation skills. Not only that but he felt better walking with Yoongi through the forest, he felt like someone was constantly watching him but Yoongi was there so the feeling wasn’t as intense. 

______ _ _

“Are you alright?” Yoongi asked after a few minutes of silence and Jimin nodded. “Liar.” 

______ _ _

“I’m not lying,” Jimin giggled. “I just had a good day.” 

______ _ _

Yoongi paused when they got to the edge of the forest. “Me too.” He smiled and watched Jimin’s cheeks turn red. _This boy definitely blushes a lot, _Yoongi thought.__

________ _ _ _ _

“So I guess I’ll see you…” biting his lip, Jimin looked up at Yoongi. 

________ _ _ _ _

“I’d love that,” Yoongi said with a smile. He then turned around on his heels and disappeared into the woods.

________ _ _ _ _


	3. Starcrossed Losers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What is this?” Jungkook asked as he scrolled through Jimin’s facebook. The younger pulled up Jimin’s messages and started scrolling through them, giggling and sharing them with Taehyung. Blushing, Jimin dropped the laundry and threw himself at the two boys.  
> “Give that back!” He whined and his two friends laughed. “Jungkook you tit, stop reading or I will -”  
> “Flirt badly with me?” Jungkook laughed as he turned the laptop around to show Jimin’s bad attempt at flirting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts are in _italics _.__

“So what’s that supposed to mean? Is she not into you anymore?” Jimin asked as he neatly folded the laundry. Jungkook eyed him from the couch. He was flicking through a teen magazine he picked up from Taehyung’s house. The young boy clicked his tongue and frowned at his friend. He ran his fingers through his brown, shiny hair and Jimin was surprised that all his rings don't scratch his scalp. He was sure Jungkook’s fashion would end up in an injury someday soon. Jungkook came over after lunch when he knew Jimin’s grandmother would be down for her afternoon nap  
.  
“No… I mean, maybe? I don’t know, but she keeps saying that long distance isn’t working for us anymore. But I think it works? I mean, we skype every other night and we constantly text each other,” he said as he propped his feet up on the coffee table just for Jimin to push them off with a glare. Jimin was nearly done for the day, he woke up early to do all the chores so he could study with Jungkook and Taehyung in the afternoon. His grandmother was extra fussy all day so Jimin had to cook twice since she didn’t like the first lunch option so he was still cleaning the house when Jungkook got to his house. As he was finishing up he heard a loud knock on the door. Swearing under his breath, he ran to the entrance and let in a way too loud Taehyung. 

“What are we gossiping about?” Tae said and ducked his head when Jimin hushed him. Taehyung has always been loud, Jimin attributed that to the fact that his house was so big that screaming never disturbed anyone. Tae wasn’t ashamed to admit that it was true after all Jungkook got lost there once when he was eleven and the only way they could find him was by yelling his name. 

“We’re not gossiping,” Jimin started saying as Taehyung threw himself next to Jungkook. “We’re talking about Lisa and how she doesn’t want to be with Jungkook anymore because long distance sucks and his heart is now broken.”  
“I really don’t see the appeal, Kook,” Tae said as a matter of fact after stealing the younger’s magazine. Jungkook huffed. “Plus I don’t see any tissues or tears so maybe you don’t either.”

“Of course you don’t,” Jungkook said and stretched out, obviously bored. He leaned over the armrest to pick up Jimin’s laptop which was wide open on the floor. His Facebook page was open as he had been constantly talking to Yoongi since they met in the forest. Jimin started panicking, he wasn’t sure whether his friends were supposed to know that Yoongi was living in the forest or even that Jimin wandered through the woods alone. _Fuck, Yoongi’s gonna kill me _, he thought as he hoped that Jungkook wouldn’t read his messages.__

__“What is this?” Jungkook asked as he scrolled through Jimin’s facebook. The younger pulled up Jimin’s messages and started scrolling through them, giggling and sharing them with Taehyung. Blushing, Jimin dropped the laundry and threw himself at the two boys._ _

__“Give that back!” He whined and his two friends laughed. “Jungkook you tit, stop reading or I will -”_ _

__“Flirt badly with me?” Jungkook laughed as he turned the laptop around to show Jimin’s bad attempt at flirting. _Well, it wasn’t supposed to be flirting, it just sort of… happened. _Jimin thought as he attempted to snatch the laptop from his friend’s hands. No wonder why he stopped telling them about his crushes. They always ended up poking fun at him or being overly protective. The last time Taehyung and Jungkook met one of his boyfriends was a disaster and Jimin would really like to avoid such things this time around.  
“Oh, aren’t you cute Chim? Why are you blushing like that? We’ve seen you flirt before!” Tae sang as he pulled Jimin over the two of them. Struggling to get up, they all began laughing. Jungkook was reading out his messages in weird accents as they were laying in a pile on the couch. Jimin gave up trying to stop the two from invading his privacy.___ _

____“Alright, stop gushing now and just put the laptop away,” Jimin mumbled as Taehyung massaged his scalp. “How did we even go from Jungkook’s failed relationship to my facebook messages?”_ _ _ _

____“Well, your attempt at romance is more successful than Jungkook’s long distance relationship with a girl he has never met before.”_ _ _ _

____“Screw you mister ‘I’ve never -” Jungkook mocked but was interrupted by Jimin snatching the laptop from his hands. “Anyway, my relationship is fine.”_ _ _ _

____“Does Lisa think the same or -” Tae smirked as Jungkook pushed him, clearly irritated. They laid there for a while, splitting hairs about Jungkook’s relationship. Jimin didn’t really understand it, he didn’t believe in long distance relationships so he couldn’t really form a proper opinion but the relationship was clearly having a bad impact on Jungkook. The younger boy met Lisa on Instagram the summer before and they’ve been talking daily ever since. At first, they were worried that Lisa was an old man with a dubious search history but after nightly Skype sessions, they were assured that Lisa was, in fact, a young, eighteen-year-old girl from Seoul. She seemed nice enough and Jimin talked to her a couple of times, they were actually friends on facebook and she tagged him in a couple of things but Jimin still wasn’t sure whether she was truly good for their Kookie._ _ _ _

____“So, Yoongi, huh?” Tae asked as they were studying for their finals. Jimin blushed and didn’t look up. He didn’t want to entertain his friends, especially not at Yoongi’s expense but the two were always relentless when it came to things like crushes and boys. Jimin was hoping they would just drop it, he was sure Yoongi was not talking to his friends about him. There was nothing to talk about anyway, Yoongi was older and probably only saw Jimin as some snotty kid from school. After all, they did watch each other grow up, even if it was from a distance. Yoongi and his friends were always different, always getting in trouble but always so nice to everybody. Jimin always thought of Yoongi as the cool older boy who smoked outside of school and slept in class - he was everything Jimin and his friends wanted to be. They wanted to feel free and reckless, so they started causing trouble, mostly outside of school. All the graffiti, the drinking and the smoking, staying out way too late flirting and making out with boys, Jimin was living his best life. Then high school was over and his grandmother got really sick and everything in his life turned around._ _ _ _

____Sighing, Jimin looked around the room. Jungkook had all of his stationery out; his planner, his Rilakkuma pencil case filled with markers and coloured pens and finally his notebooks. Jungkook was probably one of the few people who still hand wrote his notes. Jimin would too if his notes looked as good as Jungkook’s. Tae, on the other hand, had his laptop perched on his lap as he typed away. Jimin smiled, thinking that it fits their personalities. Jimin wasn’t thoughtful like that, he just used his laptop and a couple of textbooks to study - he wasn’t organized like Jungkook or minimalistic as Taehyung, he was just trying to make it through his second year without failing._ _ _ _

____“You really shouldn’t snoop like that,” Jimin pouted as he flipped through his textbook to get to the right page. He has always loved history, he’s always been really good at it and his brother helped him with his projects when they were living in Seoul so he has fond memories of it but he has always hated the history exams. He just enjoyed learning for the sake of learning, especially because he still didn’t know what he wanted to do with his future._ _ _ _

____“Oh please, you’re always up in my business with Lisa,” Jungkook said and Jimin scoffed._ _ _ _

____“You’re always telling me about it so what am I supposed to do about that?” Jimin asked, feeling slightly irritated. Taehyung rolled his eyes as he flicked through the town’s newspaper. Tae was a journalism major so he always carried around the newspaper, which wouldn’t have been so weird if his family didn’t own the damn thing, Jimin thought._ _ _ _

____“Alright you two, zip up,” Tae said after finding his source. “I think I speak for both Jungkook and me, but I think you should be careful around Yoongi.”_ _ _ _

____“Uh, why?” Jimin couldn’t focus on his revision notes anymore. He rubbed his tummy anxiously, he knew that talking about his day with Yoongi wouldn’t go down well with his two best friends. Still, he wanted to believe that he could have something good in his life._ _ _ _

____“Come on, you must have heard the rumours,” Taehyung said as he looked up at Jimin, Taehyung was never as serious as he was now talking about Yoongi. It sent shivers down Jimin’s back. _Maybe he’s just messing around _, Jimin though hopefully. He shook his head. “People say that he set fire to his father’s store and that he dropped out of high school!”___ _ _ _

______“People also say your parents paid your way through college,” Jungkook said, still focused on his work. Jimin smiled, feeling a bit better knowing that Jungkook had his back. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I trust the guy, but that’s because I don’t trust most people.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, except for girls you meet online,” Tae muttered and Jungkook glared at him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Okay, well, we all know that it’s just rumours,” Jimin said as he got back to doing his work. He knew what people thought of Yoongi and his friends, he has heard the talk around town and hell, even his grandmother had a few things to say about him. Despite the fact that she has always been close to Yoongi’s father who lived in town._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Do we?” Asked Taehyung and Jimin felt his blood boil again, he couldn’t even understand why Taehyung’s questions and warnings angered him so much, they just did. It wasn’t like this was new. His friends were protective of him, that has always been the case so the fact that they were trying to keep him safe should be sweet, but instead, he was getting angry at them. _Just breathe _, Jimin thought.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well, we know he graduated high school, don’t we?” Jimin asked and looked up to see Jungkook smile to himself while Taehyung frowned, not completely happy with Jimin’s outlook on the older boy. Taehyung understood why Yoongi might be alluring to Jimin, his friend has always had an affinity to odd and possibly dangerous people, he did date a few older men and even went through a ‘sleeping around’ phase but Jimin had to keep himself level-headed, which he was not._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I just want you to be careful, that’s all.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Thank you, really, I promise that if I see red flags I’ll back out,” Jimin promised and the two smiled at each other._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Good, who knows, maybe he’s a good guy,” Jungkook said as he finally looked up from his notebook._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Or maybe he’s a serial killer,” muttered Taehyung and Jimin rolled his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Later on, that day after the boys left, Jimin found himself in his room. He prepared a small dinner for him and his grandmother and then helped her settle down for the night before retreating to his room to finish studying but he just couldn’t concentrate. His mind was fixated on his conversation with Taehyung about Yoongi. Logically, Jimin knew he shouldn’t trust Yoongi the way he does. Afterall, he did meet the older boy in a cabin in the woods where he has a weird cauldron and a whole lot of herbs. Still, he couldn’t help but be intrigued by the old boy, his entire demeanour was soft and sweet, even if he looked like he really was not bothered and cold, Jimin felt the warmth radiate from  
Yoongi. He felt safe around the older boy, even if he only got to know him a week ago. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He couldn’t sleep well that night so he kept getting up to check on his grandmother and to make himself a cup of tea. Jimin stopped drinking when he was close to turning eighteen but right now, he felt like he needed something strong. His head was pounding and his blood was boiling, not to mention his upset stomach. Jimin was worried about the exam he had in the morning, he was worried about Jungkook and Lisa, he was worried about Taehyung’s warnings about Yoongi and most of all, he was worried that he was losing his mind by worrying about everyone else but himself. Sighing, he went back into his bedroom, his mother’s old bedroom, to be exact._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Jimin was happy to move in with his grandmother, he loved her and his parents never paid him much attention anyway, so being around her would make him feel loved and taken care of. He was happy to grow up with Jungkook and Taehyung, he attended all the summer parties, the bonfires, the school dances. He even baked pies for charity events and every winter he shovelled the snow around town. Then came his sixteenth birthday and his parents failed to show up again. His grandmother baked him a huge cake to make up for it, she was clearly taking pity on Jimin and that angered him. He didn’t want pity, he wanted his parents to care about him. That night he emptied his mother’s old bedroom, a big bedroom with an ensuite and large windows. He moved all his stuff into her room and donated her stuff to charity, even the old school albums and the cheerleading outfit she had stuffed in the back of her closet. Now, whenever he walked into his bedroom he remembers crying as he packed up his mother’s childhood, his grandmother watching from behind, clearly upset._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sighing, Jimin sat down at his desk by the window. Spinning around, he watched his room blur before his eyes. It was three in the morning and everyone was asleep yet he couldn’t sit still. He felt like talking to someone, it felt as if his chest just kept tightening. It was painful. Jimin closed his eyes and sat still, just listening to his surroundings. Silence. That’s when he realized that he didn’t feel like talking to people, he wanted to talk to Yoongi. Chuckling, Jimin pulled out his phone and unlocked it. Yoongi would surely be asleep, yeah, last seen at 23:29. _Anyway, he would probably think I’m weird if I just texted him at three in the morning _, Jimin thought tiredly. Biting his lip, he pulled up the chat history anyway. Reading through their conversations made his heart jump a little and he felt his cheeks expand into a smile.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________MIN YOONGI: So does Orlando end up marrying anybody?  
PARK JIMIN: She does. Hold on, why am I telling you this?  
PARK JIMIN: You should just read the book!  
MIN YOONGI: You said you’d lend it to me so how am I supposed to read it if I don’t have it?  
PARK JIMIN: You’re right  >,< I’ll give you the book when we meet up next.  
MIN YOONGI: I can’t wait. :)  
PARK JIMIN:...  
PARK JIMIN: To read the book?  
MIN YOONGI: To see you. 

__________…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________PARK JIMIN: Hold on, how do you have WiFi in the forest?  
MIN YOONGI: I use magic ^-^  
PARK JIMIN: Funny  >_>  
PARK JIMIN: Your internet bill must be super expensive.  
MIN YOONGI: Not really, my dad pays my bills.  
PARK JIMIN: Lucky, my gran can’t even go to the bank on her own, let alone pay the bills.  
MIN YOONGI: I want to meet her someday  
PARK JIMIN: Yeah, me too :) 

__________...._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________MIN YOONGI: Moony misses you :)  
PARK JIMIN: I miss Moony too :’(  
MIN YOONGI: Come and see her then ;)  
MIN YOONGI: And me ;) ;)  
PARK JIMIN: Especially you ;) ;) ;) 


	4. Such a Smiling Sweetheart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A lot of things don’t make sense,” Taehyung muttered as he worried his lips. Jimin watched in confusion, it wasn’t like Taehyung to look so worried about a bit of banter. 
> 
> “What’s wrong?” Jimin asked and Taehyung looked at him wearily. 
> 
> “Alright but you can’t tell anyone yet,” Jimin nodded and Taehyung leaned in across the bar to whisper. “I heard my parents and my aunt talking this morning and apparently there has been an animal attack last night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Thoughts are in italics. ___

The day was young, very young. It was six in the morning on a Monday and Jimin just arrived at The Wallflower. The sun was peeking through the clouds, the weather lady said it will be raining later today. As he keyed his way in he let the bell above the door chirp happily at his arrival. He let his finger glide over the light switch as he breathed in. The mixed perfumes made him smile, they used to make his nose hurt when he started working here but now he was used to it. The shop was cold, barely over ten degrees Celsius, the display flowers wouldn’t survive the weekend so the shop was always cold. Shivering, Jimin began his workday. He started moving around the shop, his steps were a dance he learnt very well, he could close his eyes and waltz around the rainbow rows of flowers. The wood under his feet was sturdy, his steps echoed in his ears as he started changing the steel pots and dumping out the dirty water - he listened to the water trickling down the inside of the buckets. _It’s like rain in the summer, _he thought with a smile. He trimmed the stems over a DIY trash can as he hummed to himself.__

__Nobody ever came in at six AM so he was always alone in the mornings, he could just work in silence. Just him and the flowers, alone but not really. Jimin smiled, feeling light on his feet as he started re-arranging the displays. He tends to switch up the colours, sometimes he likes gradient waves, sometimes rainbow, sometimes he groups them by scent so that each corner is a space of its own. Jimin knew he was putting too much thought in a menial job, but he couldn’t deny that he loved the flowers and the artistry behind it. He also loved the fact that Taehyung worked across the street from him. The Atlas was a relatively small coffee shop that Jungkook, Jimin and Taehyung used to go to after school and sometimes when they were skipping class. It became their place, the place where they would meet up if someone’s parents were being assholes, where they would talk about boys and girls, where they studied for the finals and where Taehyung learnt to make the best coffee Jimin has ever had the pleasure of tasting. The Atlas was legendary in and of itself and so was its owner, Minho._ _

__Jimin smiled when Minho’s face popped up in his mind. Taehyung was right in saying that Jimin always fancied older men so when they started frequenting the cafe when they were sixteen, neither one of them should have been surprised that Jimin took a liking to Minho. Of course, the older boy just shrugged him off fondly, he was three years older than Jimin and he thought the younger’s crush was cute - or so he said. Then Jimin turned eighteen and that little spark turned into a flame, _I’m overthinking again _thought Jimin as he continued to trim the stems off the yellow roses. Halfway through Jimin’s eighteenth year, they hooked up in a club on the other side of the town and then remained fuck-buddies until Minho got himself a girlfriend.___ _

____The day moved slowly, as it usually does, even with plenty of customers being a florist is never a fun job. Clients came and went, each with their own preconceived notion of what makes a nice bouquet of flowers. Usually, that didn’t bother Jimin but today everything seemed to put him in a bad mood. The bell above the door chirped happily as another customer walked in. Hyungwon and Jimin used to go to school together, the boy was a year older than Jimin and used to be really good friends with Jimin’s first and only girlfriend. Smiling, Hyungwon approached Jimin as the other customers were checking out the displays. The boy was tall and skinny with raven hair and big, gorgeous lips. Jimin smiled back, remembering the makeout session from when he was seventeen._ _ _ _

____“Back from Seoul, I see,” Jimin said and Hyungwon nodded, shifting from one leg to another._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, being an idol is not for me,” he said and Jimin frowned. That has always been Hyungwon’s dream, to sing on stage in front of millions of fans who loved him. “The contracts were crazy and the schedules were unhealthy.”_ _ _ _

____“So you gave up?” Jimin asked, a bit taken aback, as he wrapped a bouquet for an older lady._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, I mean, I’m not proud of myself for giving up, so many people do it and I should be able to do it too… But I am not ready to sacrifice my health and my mental state for  
it, it’s just not worth it.” _ _ _ _

____“I get that,” Jimin said sadly, thinking of all the things weighing him down. Often he thought about running away to Seoul to be a singer or maybe to work in a museum or even as a cashier, but everything comes with a price and sometimes it’s worth being real about whether it’s worth paying up or moving on. “So what can I help you with?”_ _ _ _

____“Right, I need something for my mum, I haven’t visited her yet and you know how she likes flowers.”_ _ _ _

____“Does she have a specific type of flower that she likes?” Jimin asked as the last customer paid up._ _ _ _

____“I’m not sure, she always had all kinds of flowers around the house when I was young,” Hyungwon said as the old man took his flowers and waved at the boys. They waved back and smiled. “Maybe just roses?”_ _ _ _

____“How about a seasonal flower?” Jimin asked as he walked around his desk and walked towards the other side of the shop where he had different spring flowers. “How about Azaleas?”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah, okay… I think she’ll like them,” he said with a smile and Jimin nodded. He went to the back to pick up some fresh Azaleas and started putting the bouquet together. His hands moved fast and he noticed how Hyungwon’s eyes followed his every move. “Do they mean anything?”_ _ _ _

____“Huh?”_ _ _ _

____“The flowers, you know how people say red roses mean love -” Hyungwon started stuttering and Jimin chuckled at his flustered expression. Most people don’t care about that kind of stuff so the question surprised him._ _ _ _

____“Femininity and softness,” Jimin said as he worked on the pale pink bow. “There you go.”_ _ _ _

____“Thanks,” Hyungwon muttered as he paid up and promised to call Jimin so they could hang out. As he watched his old friend leave, he couldn’t help but sigh to himself. _At least I’m not the only one who feels trapped.__ _ _ _

______Later on that day Jimin found himself locking up The Wallflower for lunch and skipping across the street towards The Atlas. The location was perfect for this kind of coffee shop - it was right by the town square where elderly people would sit down on the cute little benches around the little fountain in the morning and teenagers would meet up there in the evening to smoke and listen to music. The Atlas was in the middle of everything and everyone including Jimin and his two best friends. Jimin looked at the exterior before entering. He took in the Elizabethan windows framed by dark wood panes on an old, red brick wall. The top of the door had beautiful fake flowers draped around and falling softly on the side and the big neon sign above reminded Jimin of the lines on a treasure map._ _ _ _ _ _

______As he walked in he felt a rush of excitement, the cold air hit his nostrils along with the strong scent of coffee. His eyes adjusted to the dim light as he walked further into the establishment. People were coming in for their breaks, some were on dates and others just working on their projects at the bar on the left. The ground floor housed the thrifted tables, all of different, faded and distressed colours as well as an old grand piano in the right corner and exposed light bulbs coming from the ceiling in different sizes and at different heights. The bar was Jimin’s favourite place not only because he got to chat to Taehyung while drinking coffee and watching his friend work but also because he can always trace his fingers on the carved messages that adorn the polished wood. Declarations of love, names inside hearts and even some less profound words are scribbled all over the cafe and behind the bar, under the countertop Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook carved their names into the wood when they were seventeen._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jimin rarely went into the basement of the cafe but the atmosphere was perfect there too. A handcrafted staircase leads into a dark cave lit by neon lights and candles. The lazy-boy-recliner was the main attraction and the dart board on the opposite wall its friend. Jimin only went there a couple of times - once when he was sixteen, stoned out of his mind, then on his eighteenth birthday and lastly a week before Minho started seeing his girlfriend._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Earth to Jimin!” Taehyung waved his hand in front of Jimin’s face, trying to get his attention. Slightly irritated, Jimin smacked his hand away as Minho snickered. Minho, now the owner of the cafe, was rarely around anymore so Jimin was happy to see him. He sat down and ordered a latte._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Not eating?” Minho asked and Jimin shook his head._ _ _ _ _ _

______“No, not feeling great today,” he said and as Minho frowned, Tae snickered._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’re probably pregnant,” he said and Jimin felt his brain cells dying. He leant back, closed his eyes and sighed as Minho laughed._ _ _ _ _ _

______“How many times do I have to tell you that’s not how sex works?” Jimin said, feeling a headache coming on but also feeling slightly amused._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Just a couple more times will do, I think,” Taehyung muttered as he crafted the perfect latte._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I don’t think you should be giving him the birds and the bees talk,” Minho said softly as he leant over the bar when Tae went to serve another customer._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Someone should,” Jimin said and they both chuckled like school boys talking about sex._ _ _ _ _ _

______Jimin’s breaks were usually an hour long but he rarely took the full hour simply because the thought of being alone with his mind while Tae was serving people and cleaning up tables was terrible. But it was always fun to watch him interact with people, children especially. Taehyung always had a real talent with kids, they always loved him and he always wanted to play with them and make them laugh. Of course, not many toddlers came to The Atlas but when they did, Tae was the best server one could have. He would find the best crayons and the nicest colouring books and he would even draw little animals on their hot chocolate. Jimin found him absolutely endearing even as he watched now how oblivious he was to a client flirting with him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Are you leaving?” Jimin asked as Minho put on his jacket and grabbed his car keys._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, I have to go to my mother’s office to sign some papers and then I’m meeting Taeyeon for dinner.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Have fun,” Jimin said with a smile as Minho was leaving. The older boy smiled back and waved as he walked out through the door._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I still think you should have made it official with him before he got with Taeyeon,” Tae said as he sat across from Jimin. _The boy’s brown hair was messy and his eyes tired but he looked good _, Jimin thought. He watched him carefully before responding, taking in everything that was Kim Taehyung and his heart swelled with fondness because even though Jungkook was the youngest, Tae was the childish, innocent and pure one._ _ _ _ _ _ __

______“I would have ended up like Jungkook,” Jimin muttered after taking a sip out of his drink._ _ _ _ _ _

______“You think so? I think you two were great for each other, he took great care of you,” Tae said as he propped his chin on his palm, looking at Jimin with a sparkle in his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I can take care of myself,” Jimin said and Tae chuckled. “Why are you laughing? You know I can!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I know you can take care of yourself, but you don’t have to do it all the time,” Tae replied before getting up to take someone’s order._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What do you mean?” Jimin asked quietly when Taehyung came back._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I mean, you’ve got a very heavy plate and you should be able to let your hair down from time to time,” Tae responded then added quickly. “It’s not about being able to do something, it’s about allowing yourself not to do it.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You make no sense,” Jimin whined, a headache looming in the back of his skull. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed._ _ _ _ _ _

______“A lot of things don’t make sense,” Taehyung muttered as he worried his lips. Jimin watched in confusion, it wasn’t like Taehyung to look so worried about a bit of banter._ _ _ _ _ _

______“What’s wrong?” Jimin asked and Taehyung looked at him wearily._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Alright but you can’t tell anyone yet,” Jimin nodded and Taehyung leaned in across the bar to whisper. “I heard my parents and my aunt talking this morning and apparently there has been an animal attack last night.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“An animal attack?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah, in the forest - they were worried about scaring people so they’re sitting on the story before releasing it to the public.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“That’s odd, isn’t it?” Jimin asked then noticed the deadness behind Taehyung’s eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Is it though? Think about it, they said that the man wasn’t actually killed in the forest but that he was dropped there,” Taehyung’s voice took a mysterious turn, as though he had everything figured out._ _ _ _ _ _

______“So you think the animal came into town, killed someone only to drag the man back into the forest?” Jimin asked and Taehyung nodded. “Why would an animal do that?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“To feed its children?” Jimin was silent for a bit before looking back up at Taehyung._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Well, was the guy mauled or was there any sign of animals feeding on him?” Jimin offered and Taehyung sighed before biting his lower lip._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I don’t know, they didn’t say but what if this is just the beginning?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m sure the police is on it, don’t worry too much,” before Taehyung could respond the bell rang above the door and the air stilled around the room. Jimin watched as Taehyung’s eyes hardened a bit. Confused, he turned around to see Yoongi walking towards him. _Shit, _Jimin thought as his heart beat went into overdrive and his palms immediately got sweaty. The older boy looked even better in a casual setting like this, with his newly dyed yet faded blue hair and his big, gorgeous, blue eyes. He was wearing a tight pair of black jeans and a white t shirt but Jimin couldn’t shift his focus from Yoongi’s skin. It seemed different from the time they met in the forest. Jimin noticed little stars shine on the boy’s skin as the light from the window hit different parts of his body. He felt his cheeks heat up.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey,” Yoongi’s voice was low and his smile made Jimin’s legs feel weak, _he thought as he licked his lips. Yoongi sat down next to him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey,” Jimin said, feeling shy all of a sudden. What was he supposed to do or say when all he did for the past two weeks was think about Yoongi. “I thought you don’t come into town often?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t usually but I was meeting Hoseok for lunch,” he said then eyed Taehyung who was still as a boulder. “He bailed on me so I thought I’d come and see you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“That’s nice of you,” Jimin said, feeling himself blush. He didn’t know what to do with himself, talking to Yoongi on the phone was one thing but having him so close to his body did unspeakable things to Jimin. “Uh, yeah, this is Taehyung.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ah, you’re the best friend who studies journalism,” Yoongi said with a polite smile as he reached across the bar to shake Taehyung’s hand. Tae shook his hand wearily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“And you’re the guy Jimin always talks about,” Tae said cheekily and Jimin swore he could feel the ground shake under him. _Maybe it’s preparing itself to swallow me whole out of pity, _Jimin thought. He wanted to punch Taehyung in the face so badly.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Is that so?” Yoongi asked with a slight smirk on his pretty face. Jimin wanted to die. _Alright, pull yourself together, _he thought and smiled back.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Maybe,” Jimin offered as Yoongi’s smile grew, already knowing the answer to his question. Taehyung gagged as the two held eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Anything to drink?” Tae asked and Yoongi ordered black coffee._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So Hoseok’s back in town?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yeah, he moved back with his sister and we were going to hang out but something came up so he ditched me,” Yoongi explained. “But I can’t say I’m mad at him.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“No?” Jimin hated people cancelling plans at the last minute and by the look on Taehyung’s face, he knew the younger was eavesdropping while tending the bar._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Nope, I was kind of hoping he would cancel so I could come and see you,” Yoongi said and Jimin grinned like a schoolgirl. Taehyung rolled his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Well, then I’m not mad either,” Jimin said as he played with his now empty mug. Looking up at the older boy, he couldn’t believe that he got the attention of his teenage crush._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So, Yoongi, I haven’t seen you around much since you finished high school,” Taehyung said, clearly intruding. Jimin glared at his friend as Yoongi focused on Taehyung’s face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“I’ve moved into my mother’s house after she died but I do come into town from time to time,” he said and Tae nodded his head, feeling a bit uneasy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“So you must know about the party on Saturday?” Tae asked as he served another client, a young girl who couldn’t take her eyes off Jimin’s friend._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“At The Sphinx, right?” Yoongi asked then looked at Jimin who nodded. The Sphinx was an underground nightclub on the other side of the town. It was named after the Sphinx in Egypt and was gold themed with a golden bar and a fancy atmosphere despite the fact that it was transformed into a strip club two years ago._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Are you going?” Taehyung asked and Yoongi was silent for a bit before looking at Jimin who was desperately waiting for the older boy’s answer. Jimin would be lying if he said he didn’t want Yoongi to invite him to go together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“It depends,” he answered as he kept his eyes trained on Jimin who was burning on the inside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“On what?” Jimin asked and Taehyung could swear he could feel his brain cells dying._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“If you’re coming,” Yoongi muttered and Jimin averted his eyes, blushing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“He is,” Taehyung said as a matter of fact, earning another glare from Jimin and a smile from Yoongi._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Perfect,” Yoongi said and Jimin smiled at him. “I’ll pick you up at eleven.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that things are finally picking up and that I'm free for the summer I'm super excited to post more often so stay tuned for that. :)


	5. I Don’t Care What You Think (as long as it’s about me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they drove through the town square, Jimin’s mind cleared slightly at the sound of sirens ringing in his head. He felt his head spin as he sat up straight and looked out of the car window only to notice that his friends were also watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this chapter is super late, it is also very rushed. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to write this chapter and therefore the writing is lousy. I am hoping to come back to it at a later time to edit it and well, polish it a bit. I am also posting this at 3.30 in the morning so I will come back later to fix all my mistakes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this (very late) chapter!

“For fuck’s sake,” Jimin whined under his breath as he closed the door to his grandmother’s bedroom for the nth time. She never did well on her own even before her condition kicked in but she’s been a lot needier the past couple of weeks and Jimin was mentally and physically exhausted. He was all too happy to be going out dancing with his crush and just forget about all his responsibilities. The fact that his aunt was in town and currently sleeping in his old bedroom certainly did ease his mind a little bit.  
Walking into his bedroom he sighed loudly at the mess that was on the floor. Jimin never had any trouble dressing up for any occasion, especially some random Saturday night party but tonight was different because Yoongi would be there. Tiredly, he began picking up the clothes off the floor and hanging them back in the closet before turning to look at himself in the mirror. His eyes were puffy and his under-eye bags deep and unflattering but his outfit was on point - wearing a pair of tight leather pants paired with a studded belt, a white ripped Ramones t-shirt, a loose tan jacket and black combat boots made him feel sexy. _Nothing a little makeup can’t fix, _he muttered to himself as he sat cross-legged in front of his full-length mirror.__

__Jimin didn’t wear makeup very often but he wasn’t shy to use it when the time called for it. As he walked through his makeup routine of applying moisturizer, BB cream and a thin line of smudged eyeliner he let himself think about all the ways the night could go. In his mind the night could go in two directions - he could either completely embarrass himself, as he usually does, and therefore make Yoongi never want to see him again or they could hook up in his grandmother’s house. Jimin was not sure which of those options he prefered._ _

__Jimin’s phone started ringing and without looking away from the mirror, he swiped his finger across the screen to answer and put it on speaker._ _

__“What are you wearing?” Jungkook’s voice vibrated through Jimin’s room and Jimin couldn’t help but notice that it didn’t have that nice little lilt to it this time around. Jungkook sounded like how Jimin would imagine wilted flowers would sound like. His voice was low and dripping with false enthusiasm.  
“Send us pictures!” Tae shouted from behind Jungkook and Jimin smiled as he finished putting on makeup. _ _

__“What’s the point? You’ll see me there!” Jimin answered and stood up with his phone. Looking out the window, he noticed a taxi pull up in his driveway and Yoongi stepped out. Jimin’s heart instantly began beating faster and his palms got clammy, making it harder to hold the phone. He couldn’t really see Yoongi’s outfit but Jimin noticed the way the older boy glowed as he paid for the ride and began walking towards his door._ _

__“Hello! Jimin!” Jungkook bellowed from his speaker, shaking Jimin out of the daze he fell into._ _

__“Yeah, uh -” Jimin paused, trying to regain some sense of control before having to open the door. “Yoongi’s here so I’ll see you guys there.”_ _

__“Have fun lover boy!” Tae and Jungkook sang at the same time before the line went dead. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Jimin placed his hand over his chest, willing his heart to slow down and his knees to steady themselves. He heard a loud knock on the door and his attempts to relax went right out of the window. Letting out a shaky breath, he began sprinting out of his room and down the stairs, not wanting to make Yoongi wait. When he got to the door he bit his lip and checked himself out in the floor length mirror. With shaky hands he opened the door and smiled sweetly at Yoongi who looked flawless and so composed, Jimin felt a little pang of envy. Yoongi was wearing a white shirt  
half tucked into a pair of fitted black jeans and a pair of neat black converse. Jimin looked Yoongi up and down, feeling slightly overdressed. _ _

__“Hey,” Jimin muttered as his cheeks heated up. He was suddenly feeling bashful but no longer nervous - it was weird, almost like everytime Yoongi was around a cloud of serenity would fall over Jimin and nothing could faze him anymore. Of course, except Yoongi himself. The man was drop dead gorgeous with his faded blue hair and pretty eyes._ _

__“Hey,” Yoongi answered with a simple yet meaningful smile - Jimin didn’t quite get the meaning behind it but his heart certainly leaped a bit._ _

__“Uh, yeah - come it, let me just grab my stuff and -” Jimin started mumbling as he walked back into the house with Yoongi following behind like a mischievous little kitten. The older boy was certainly amused by how meek and shy Jimin was around him, it also made him feel a little special and fond of the younger boy._ _

__“Jimin,” Yoongi said after closing the door and Jimin stopped to look at him. Their eyes met and Jimin felt like he could finally breathe out._ _

__“Right, why don’t you come upstairs instead of hanging around down here,” Jimin asked, feeling a little calmer now._ _

__Opening the door to his bedroom to other people usually felt a little intimidating and more like an invasion of privacy but as he let Yoongi in, Jimin didn’t feel any of that. He watched the subject of his love interest move around the room, lightly taking everything in from his neatly made bed to his squeaky clean mirror and all the way to his carefully planned out desk. Jimin has always been a bit of a neat freak which earned him a lot of ridicule from his two best friends but Yoongi seemed impressed - even if he was trying very hard not to look like he was interested in Jimin’s bedroom._ _

__“Are you sure this is your bedroom?” Yoongi asked as Jimin picked up his phone, his wallet and his keys. Jimin cocked an eyebrow and giggled at Yoongi’s slightly confused facial expression._ _

__“Pretty sure, yeah,” he said and Yoongi smiled._ _

__“It’s like a hospital room,” he said as he got a little closer to Jimin whose heart picked up its pace again. “The only thing that gives away your presence in this room is all the photos scattered around.”_ _

__“Jungkook’s an aspiring photographer,” Jimin shrugged. “My dad was in the military so before I moved to live with my grandmother my brother and I had weekly inspections of our bedrooms,”_ _

__“That sounds awful,” Yoongi pouted cutely and Jimin bit his lip. He was fighting the urge to push Yoongi onto his bed and forget all about their plans. “I would have failed every time.”_ _

__“I got used to it pretty fast, he wasn’t exactly kind in his inspections so I just got on with it,” Jimin said as they made their way out of his bedroom and down the stairs. Before leaving he checked in on his grandmother who was sleeping and on the rest of the house. The ride to the other side of the town was mostly quiet. Jimin didn’t exactly know how to make conversation with the taxi driver listening to their every word. It was obvious by the way his eyes would dart from the road ahead into the rear-view mirror. His gaze panned up and down at the boys and Jimin couldn’t help but shift uncomfortably in his seat. Although they lived in a small town, he didn’t really know everybody the way Taehyung does which meant that he could never be careful enough with weird, dodgy people. Yoongi noticed Jimin’s discomfort and scooted closer to the younger boy, trying to alleviate some of the anxiety running through Jimin’s body._ _

__“I haven’t been to The Sphinx in ages,” Yoongi muttered when they got out of the taxi. “And now I remember why.”_ _

__Jimin laughed. The Sphinx, although it has a rich name and history, is situated on the ‘wrong’ side of the town where the only living things were the addicts trying to score some drugs from the party-goers or the crickets that are almost always deafening. Jimin understood why Yoongi didn’t like coming to The Sphinx, he wasn’t a great fan either but he had a couple of nice memories such as his eighteen birthday which was held at The Sphinx by Taehyung and Jungkook and the first time he and Minho had sex._ _

__“Well, lucky you then,” Jimin said as they began walking towards the venue. “There are no strippers tonight.”_ _

__“Strippers?” Yoongi asked and Jimin threw his head back laughing. Pouting, Yoongi playfully elbowed his ‘date’ and whined, trying to stop Jimin from laughing so loudly at his expense. His laugh was inundating the vastness of their surroundings, echoing back louder and louder._ _

__“Yeah, the club was bought by a rich - and young - daddy’s boy a couple of years ago and since then it changed completely,” Jimin said as they were nearing the entrance._ _

__“How so?” Yoongi asked, walking closely alongside Jimin and feelings their hands brush. He bit his lip, wanting to hold Jimin’s hand. “I mean, besides the strippers.”_ _

__“Well, the interior changed a lot and now it’s easier to get in without being ID’d.” Yoongi hummed, thinking about all the times he spent at The Sphinx only to realize that he was always too drunk to notice the atmosphere of the club._ _

__Finally, after what felt like an eternity of walking down a narrow, beaten down path they arrived in front of a massive slab of concrete. Yoongi looked it over and sighed. The music was getting louder and louder as they climbed on top of the slab and reached the middle. Jimin pulled open the trap-door to reveal a hole in the ground. Quietly, they made their way down the ladder. The loud music enveloped them completely as they reached the ground. People were hanging out in the walkway, leaning backwards on the concrete walls and happily smoking whatever they were smoking. ‘I’m too old for this shit’, Yoongi thought as Jimin took his hand shyly. They walked into the main area where the party was in full bloom. The room was massive, enormous even, with concrete walls that were as high as 15”. The DJ booth was elevated on the opposite end of the club with two runways on either side as well as two round booths that made the bars were perched in the middle, separating the two dance floors. The seating was wrapped around the edges of the room like a red rope, giving the club a luxurious appearance. The colours were an obvious mix of red and gold, cheap in Jimin’s opinion but the neon lights that littered the place made up for the grandiose atmosphere._ _

__The two walked through the mass of people towards the other end of the club where they spotted Jimin’s friends, Taehyung and Jungkook. The two looked relaxed with a drink in hand each. Taehyung looked tired but fabulous in his tight black jeans, white shirt with two buttons open and a red blazer which was clearly far more expensive than Jimin would even want to imagine. Jungkook looked sad and dejected, even as Taehyung was talking his ear off. The youngest of the three friends was wearing a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, clearly underdressed for a night out. Worried, Jimin hurried over to them with Yoongi on his heels._ _

__“Hey,” Jimin shouted, trying to get his words across to his two friends._ _

__“Hey lover boy,” Jungkook teased and formally introduced himself to Yoongi who shook his hand and awkwardly remarked the change in his height since the last time they saw each other. Jungkook didn’t seem too fazed by the awkward atmosphere._ _

__Soon enough, Hoseok and his sister, Dawon showed up. The two were dazzling as they made their way through the crowd towards Jimin’s booth. He suddenly felt a pang of jealousy expand in his chest. He knew it was stupid, but he felt like even though Hoseok and Yoongi are strictly just friends, he could never compete with the older dancer. ‘Get yourself together, Jimin’, Jimin thought as the two reached the table._ _

__“Finally you show up,” Yoongi said playfully as he got up to hug his best friend and his sister. Dawon has always been a quiet but confident woman. Yoongi and Namjoon used to joke about it all the time, knowing fully well that she was the type of person who would subtly attack you if you gave her the chance. She was not to be messed with._ _

__“Well, we had trouble finding you,” she said with a big smile on her face. “What, with your piercing blue eyes and your blue hair.”_ _

__“Funny,” Yoongi said as he hugged her. “Hobi, Dawon, this is Jimin and his friends, Jungkook and Taehyung.”_ _

__“Nice to meet you,” Dawon said as she leaned over to shake their hands.  
The night went on as it should - full of awkward dancing on Yoongi’s part and constant blushing on Jimin’s. Finally, at two in the mornin,g the two boys sat down at the bar, elbows touching as Tae and Jungkook danced together, again. Jimin was surprised that the two still had functional feet after all the dancing they’ve been doing all night. Smiling softly to himself, he turned his body to face Yoongi who was watching him and sipping on his drink at the same time. Putting his drink down, Yoongi arched his eyebrow at Jimin who felt inclined to kiss him. ‘It’s probably the booze, yeah, must be’, Jimin thought as he shook his head. _ _

__“I’m just happy,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders which felt heavier than normal. Yoongi smiled back before noticing Hoseok and his sister walking towards them. At one point during the night, Hobi, his sister and Jimin’s two best friends seemed to have declared a dance war. The four danced for hours with only a few drinks in between. Yoongi couldn’t understand how some people had enough stamina to dance for thirty minutes, let alone hours._ _

__“I’m happy too,” Yoongi said as he returned his attention to Jimin who has finished his drink._ _

__“Hey, should we get ready to go?” Hoseok asked and Jimin felt his body relax at the prospect of going home to a well deserved night of rest._ _

__“Yeah, we should,” Yoongi said, noticing how tired Jimin was. “Let’s get the other two and get going.”_ _

__Leaving the club seemed harder than one would deem normal. Finding Taehyung and Jungkook was a hard feat on its own, helping them climb up the ladder and out of the club was the truly hard part. As they all straighten themselves out, Yoongi called a taxi for all of them._ _

__“Hey, why don’t we take it back to my place?” Taehyung asked as he leaned on Jimin._ _

__“Aren’t your parents home?” Jimin asked as he looked over at his friend who was clearly drunk._ _

__“Nah, they’re attending some stupid galla out of town,” he slurred and Jungkook chuckled before slightly stumbling._ _

__“I think it’s a good idea,” Hoseok said as the taxi approached them._ _

__“Yeah, let’s do it,” Dawon echoed her brother with a smile._ _

__Yoongi and Jimin looked at each other. They were both worn out and slightly hoping that they could spend some more time together, even if they wouldn’t be alone. Nodding, they all got in the car and Taehyung gave the driver his home address. Tiredly, Jimin let his head fall on Yoongi’s shoulder. He was too drunk to notice how close they were too each other and the way Yoongi’s breath ghosted his face. Slowly, he moved his hand across his lap and lightly touched Yoongi’s who intertwined their fingers together._ _

__As they drove through the town square, Jimin’s mind cleared slightly at the sound of sirens ringing in his head. He felt his head spin as he sat up straight and looked out of the car window only to notice that his friends were also watching. The town square was in chaos with a yellow and black ribbon enveloping the scene at hand. Police officers were circling one of the benches and the paramedics rushed out of the ambulance. Jimin couldn’t see exactly what was happening or who it was that was laying on the bench but his stomach churned anyway as he heard Taehyung mutter anxiously to himself._ _

__“Oh fuck,”_ _


	6. Bless This Acid House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The room fell quiet once again. The tension was heavy and the air was still as they all processed what they just heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally here with chapter six of this story. Before you go ahead and read it, I just wanted to point out that in this story, Yoongi is slightly taller than Jimin simply because I think it's cute and that's how I picture the story in my head. Secondly, I do have a playlist up on Spotify for this story which you can find here (just copy and paste this in your search bar): https://open.spotify.com/user/waywardstudies/playlist/5PLNLNiGHnpH71aWaya0US?si=V57TBytxQESBokKHjRwopQ
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

Although tired and slightly drunk, Jimin was wide awake on the ride to Taehyung’s house. His head was pounding from too much alcohol and trying to think too hard about the scene he just witnessed. He felt Yoongi’s arms wrap around him - his body was warm and soft and Jimin could feel his own body relax slightly. ‘If only I could fall asleep right now’ Jimin thought before noting the sudden silence that filled the car. The driver was quiet too, the boys weren’t sure if he even noticed the commotion in the town’s square. He was too tired to even analyse the situation he just witnessed so instead, he focused on the warm breath fanning his neck and the goosebumps it left in its wake. Sighing, he turned his head back to the way the scenery changed from the inner bowels of their town, the beautiful lights shining down from the old-looking lamp posts and the spring decorations that adorned the windows of the closed shops, to the more suburban area of their town. The town looked dead at this hour, it made Jimin shiver. In his drunken stupor, Jimin couldn’t help but feel thankful for Yoongi’s embrace as he watched the townhouses run by him as though they were all in a zoetrope that wouldn’t stop spinning. 

Getting out of the taxi was a chore in and of itself if not for Dawon who was clearly tired but for the fact that Jimin could swear his limbs have never felt heavier before. Dawon was leaning on Hoseok who carried her up to the big black gate that held Taehyung’s family estate. The stone path was lined with rose bushes of many colours that curved nicely towards the big mansion which was propped up by big stone pillars. The massive windows and the flower garden off to the side gave off a familiar feeling, Jimin always thought Taehyung’s house looked like a mixture of Parisian architecture and an old cathedral in Victorian England. The flower garden was the house to many, many fancy plants that Jimin could only dream of owning as well as a small artisanal fountain and a way too realistic sculpture of the Kim family watching over the town. Yoongi, Hoseok and Dawon kept their eyes trained on the beauty that was Taehyung’s home and as little awe-ing noises left their mouths the other three giggled. 

“Holy shit, Taehyung, you didn’t tell us that you live in a fucking palace,” Hoseok bellowed as they climbed up the stairs. Taehyung snorted, clearly amused, as he let everyone in. Jimin kept his eyes trained on Taehyung who shifted uncomfortably in his spot.

“Let’s not be dramatic,” he said as the rest of his friends looked around the foyer which was beautifully decorated in cream marble, a white leather couch with golden legs that looked like snakes to Yoongi’s drunken eyes and a gorgeous crystal vase full of white roses perched on a cream end table. Family pictures were hung in disarray over the crisp white walls which lead to two marble archways on either side of the foyer and a big round staircase that reminded Dawon of a perfectly manicured wedding cake or a bride’s veil cascading onto the cream marble at the bottom. Feeling slightly nauseous, Jimin broke away from Yoongi and sat down on the couch.

“Yeah, sure, let’s not be dramatic,” Yoongi mocked as he pointed towards the biggest picture that adorned the wall. The photo was old but the golden frame restored it to its full potential. Taehyung scoffed at the photo. It was a family picture, just him in a black tux in between his gorgeous parents - looking very rich and unattainable. In Jimin’s mind, he couldn’t deny that Taehyung was really unattainable, but that’s what made him so loveable in the first place; his attitude always attracted people. 

“Okay, maybe a bit dramatic,” he muttered, knowing fully well that by bringing people over to his house he was bound to get those comments. Thankfully, Jungkook and Jimin were too young to really notice Taehyung’s lavish upbringing when they came around the first time. After that, the subject was mostly up for ridicule but nonetheless, Taehyung felt comfortable having his two best friends over. Now, strangers, that was different. 

“So what now?” Jungkook asked as he stretched and walked further into the house. 

“Let’s go make a snack and maybe watch a movie,” Jimin suggested as he hoped they would eat something salty, maybe some crackers or something. They all agreed and Taehyung lead them into the downstairs kitchen which was as grand as the foyer. Yoongi couldn’t take his eyes off Tae’s home, everything he saw was so carefully placed and the colours matches so perfectly that Yoongi was sure most of the furniture in the house was custom made. The kitchen was no different. The marble countertops were clean and clutter-free and the kitchen cupboards were a stylish shiny black with polished gold handles. The meticulous and well thought out theme of the house unnerved Yoongi who placed a hand over his chest and began rubbing away some of his discomfort. 

“Are you okay?” Jimin asked as the others started making chocolate chip popcorn. Hobi began raiding the double fridge for drinks as Jungkook and Dawon double fisted chocolate chips. The two really seemed to be getting along very well - from dancing to all the weird songs in the club to sharing memes on the ride to Taehyung’s place and now stuffing their faces with food that wasn’t theirs. Jimin chuckled, hoping that something would happen between them so that Jungkook could forget about Lisa, even a one night stand would work.

“Yeah, it’s just -” Yoongi started speaking before noticing the proximity between him and Jimin; his chest tightened again and he felt like his spirit was leaving his body. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tried to refocus. “This house is kind of giving me the creeps.” 

“Living in a forest would do that to you,” Jimin muttered and giggled when Yoongi playfully pushed him. “But I get it, the first time I came here I was new to the town.” 

“What did you think about it?” Yoongi asked as he searched Jimin’s face. He noticed Jimin’s puffy eyes and his pretty plump lips and he barely resisted the urge to bend down and kiss him. Jimin’s skin was obviously soft and warm, if his rosy cheeks were anything to go by and his hand felt so right in Yoongi’s hand, it would be a shame if -

“I came from a small apartment in Seoul so I was just as nervous as you are, I had no idea how to behave in such a fancy place,” Jimin spoke softly, fully aware of how close they were to each other and how easy it would be to just lean into Yoongi and feel his body mold around Jimin’s. The younger boy was sure that Yoongi would be an amazing cuddle buddy. “But I wasn’t as bad as Jungkook.”

“How so?” Yoongi asked, not sure how the situation could get any worse. 

“Apparently he got lost here when he was really young, they searched for him for half an hour before finding him hiding under Tae’s bed, crying.”

“You weren’t supposed to tell that story!” Jungkook yelled from across the room only for everyone else to erupt in laughter. 

“It’s true though, my mum had to hold you for ages before you stopped crying,” Tae giggled as Hobi awed and pinched Jungkook’s cheeks playfully. Jimin was so happy to see them all get along like this.

“H-how did you even get lost?” Yoongi stuttered when he felt Jimin lean into him slightly. He felt the younger boy’s teasing fingers search for his. Yoongi looked over at Jimin who smiled when he found them. 

“I needed the toilet,” Jungkook shrugged as he emptied the steaming bag of popcorn into a massive bowl. Hoseok poured the remaining chocolate chips into the bowl and began mixing them. The smell of the chocolatey popcorn wafted through the air, making Jimin’s tummy rumble in confusion - he was sure that he would throw up if he ate any. The more Hoseok stirred the popcorn the more Jimin’s stomach protested. 

“To be fair, I think I would get lost here too,” Dawon admitted and Yoongi and Hobi nodded in unison, making Tae smile. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Taehyung muttered quietly to himself but everyone heard him.

Moving into the living room on the other side of the house, Jimin looked at his phone. It was three thirty in the morning and they were still up, getting ready to watch a movie. Hoseok, Yoongi and Jungkook threw themselves on the comfortable brown leather couches as Dawon opened up a box of soda cans. Jimin and Taehyung walked over to Taehyung’s father’s DVD collection. Tae’s dad has always been a big movie buff, in fact, he was the reason why Jimin loved going to the cinema so much. The boys scanned the shelves quickly, their eyes skipping over the movies they already watched. 

“Genre?” Jimin turned around to ask only to see Jungkook and Dawon in a heated competition of who could catch more popcorn with their mouths. Jimin grimaced, knowing very well that making a mess of Tae’s mother’s very expensive carpet would have dire consequences. 

“Action,” Hobi and Dawon piped in together only for Jungkook to chuckle. 

“I think we had enough action tonight,” the youngest said and the room stilled as they were all reminded of the incident in the town’s square. 

“How about horror?” Yoongi asked without taking his eyes off Jimin and the way the boy was leaning slightly against the bookcase. Yoongi couldn’t help but notice Jimin’s thick thighs and his tiny tummy when the younger stretched his arms above his head tiredly. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he quickly looked away.

“Okay, I got The Exorcist, Ghost Ship and The Gallows,” Taehyung called out. 

“Isn’t The Gallows the one with the cover of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’?” Asked Hoseok, suddenly very excited. 

“Your obsessive love for Nirvana is embarrassing,” Dawon laughed and Yoongi nodded with a smile only to be pushed away by his friend. 

“Unique, very hipster-like,” Jimin chuckled and took Ghost Ship out of Taehyung’s hand. “Since Hoseok is such a hipster we’ll go with a hipster movie.” 

“Ghost ship is a hipster movie?” Yoongi asked and Jimin smiled. 

“As far as I’m concerned their budget was abysmal and so was their profit - they didn’t even make a sequel! Is that hipster enough for the Cobain fans among us?” Everyone erupted in laughter, even Hoseok. 

“Fuck off,” Hoseok mumbled as he snatched the DVD out of Jimin’s hands and moved to put on the movie. Jimin sat down next to Yoongi, the space between them was almost non-existent and Yoongi could swear he felt like his body was catching fire everytime Jimin touched him. Swallowing away his anxiety, he wrapped his arm around Jimin’s waist and pulled him even closer. Biting his lip, Jimin looked up at Yoongi who was seemingly watching Hoseok and Taehyung struggle with the DVD player. The older boy certainly looked satisfied with Jimin’s reaction. The younger smiled a bit to himself before making himself comfortable in Yoongi’s embrace. 

As the movie began, everyone settled down. The curtains were drawn and the house was slightly cold, making Jimin feel even more nauseous. He tried to focus on the beginning of the movie but all he could think about was the town square incident and how he couldn’t see past the police officers and the EMTs. He couldn’t shake off the weird feeling in his chest. 

“Are you okay?” Yoongi whispered in his ear and Jimin nodded with a smile, not wanting to alarm the older boy. He pulled his knees to his chest and laid his head on Yoongi’s shoulder from where he let his eyes scan the entire room. Taehyung and Jungkook were both engrossed in the movie whereas Hoseok was already fast asleep and Dawon was using her brother’s thigh as a pillow. The room was very quiet and it weirded Jimin out how he was the only one thinking about what they saw. Sighing, he returned his attention to the movie and tried really hard to focus. 

“Oh God, that’s ghastly,” Taehyung groaned halfway through the movie as an avalanche of dead bodies filled the TV screen. 

“Not a fan of horror movies?” Yoongi asked quietly, trying not to disturb Jimin who only now managed to settle down and enjoy the movie. 

“It’s not that,” Tae muttered. “I’m cool with ghosts and gore or whatever but I can’t imagine drowning in a puddle of old, decaying corpses.” 

“I second that,” Dawon said after poking Hoseok’s thigh to make him stop moving. “Do you think they used real cadavers?” 

“That would be so cool,” Jungkook gushed. Everyone piped down after that, feeling a bit weird and uncomfortable. 

Suddenly, the front door opened and slammed shut. Yelping, Taehyung turned the TV off and everyone fell into an eerie silence as they listened to high heels making contact with marble and loud voices coming from the foyer. Hoseok was still dead to the world. Yoongi instinctively pulled Jimin closer as Dawon sat up. Taehyung’s parents not only looked high-class but Yoongi noticed that even their voices, their accents and the way they expressed themselves through speech was in a way expensive, unattainable and somewhat disturbing. He wasn’t sure why everybody froze the way they did or why Taehyung turned the TV off but the atmosphere was thick with tension. 

“This is a disaster,” Tae’s mother sighed exasperatedly but even her desperation was charming. Yoongi imagined her clutching her pearls as she spoke to her husband. 

“I know,” Tae’s dad said, his voice was steady and calm but somewhat empty, he sounded awfully stoic to Yoongi’s ears. “We must get out there and put out a statement before Haewon gets here.” 

“You think they’ll buy another -?” 

“Shh.” Taehyung’s father walked into the living room and Yoongi felt blinded by the way this man’s attitude outshone everything in the room. His suit was definitely worth more than any of the clothes Yoongi owned - he suddenly felt wrong being there. The more he stared at the man the more things he noticed about him such as the fact that his stance was meant to come across as casual but it actually came across as threatening and his smile, his smile made Yoongi’s stomach churn. 

“Aren’t you kids supposed to be in bed?” He asked with a soft smile and Taehyung smiled at his father, albeit, his smile looked forced but a smile nonetheless - more than Yoongi could muster. Jimin seemed fine, if not only a bit nervous. Taehyung’s dad looked down at Yoongi’s arm wrapped tightly around Jimin then he met Yoongi’s eyes which he held until Yoongi was squirming in his seat. 

“We were just finishing up a movie, we’ll go to bed after,” Taehyung said and his father nodded. 

“Make sure you do get some rest and remember to pick up after yourself,” his tone left no room for argument so Taehyung agreed with him instantly. “It’s nice to meet you all, make yourselves comfortable.” 

“Nice to meet you too sir,” Dawon spoke steadily and when Yoongi peeked at her he saw her confident smile. 

After his father left to go upstairs, Taehyung seemed to deflate. The room fell quiet once again. The tension was heavy and the air was still as they all processed what they just heard.


	7. Where The Road Meets The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did you talk to Jungkook?” Tae asked as they began eating. Jimin watched Tae eat before responding. Taehyung was a messy eater, he almost looked childish as he slurped his soup and shovelled rice into his mouth. Despite coming from such a high class, important family, Taehyung never behaved like he was above anybody. He ate his food like he never ate anything before and he spoke to everybody like he knew them, really knew them.
> 
> “Yeah, we talked a bit last night, mostly about Lisa and his parents,” Jimin said, feeling slightly irritated. Jungkook was different, everyone knew that. He never had trouble with girls and he was incredibly smart and creative but as a whole, Jungkook was the type of person who liked his own misery and as much as Jimin and Tae loved him, they also would have liked to be able to smack some sense into their friend sometimes. 
> 
> “Let me guess, they got back together and everything is so peachy and lovely now,”

Jimin loves Saturdays. He loves Saturdays because he gets Saturdays off from work and his grandmother is mostly occupied all day with her club activities or his aunt coming into town and although Jimin loves Saturdays, he loves Saturday mornings even better. The air is crisp no matter the weather and his backyard feels welcoming, rather than daunting with its tall, towering trees and the big greenhouse full of different plants that his grandmother insists on keeping. 

Jimin likes being the only one awake, he likes playing with Grey, a Russian Blue cat that has been Jimin’s best friend since he was sixteen years old. His parents came to town a week before Jimin’s birthday and dropped off this gorgeous, grey kitten which was supposed to be his birthday present. His brother excitedly handed the kitty over to Jimin, squealing about how they both had little grey kittens but Jimin couldn’t focus on his brother or his absent parents. One look into the cat’s eyes and he couldn’t look away, he felt captive as his heart swelled up with love and pride. 

Grey follows him around in the morning, weaving her way between Jimin’s legs and purring loudly as she eats her food, only stopping to look up at Jimin who coos at her every time. Yeah, mornings are special for Jimin, they are quiet and peaceful so he believed it should come as no surprise to Yoongi that Jimin would be awake at the crack of dawn, blowing his phone up with flower and heart emojis. The younger has finished his morning routine and was making breakfast for himself and Taehyung as he waited for the older boy to reply. It was not Jimin’s fault that he was excited to spend the night at Yoongi’s cottage in the forest. Yoongi asked Jimin two days after the party if he wanted to spend the night at his place and Jimin couldn’t help but giggle at Yoongi’s stuttery questions. He was perched on his desk, fumbling with one of his favourite pens and looking outside the window. It was two in the morning and he really didn’t want to hang up when Yoongi shyly invited Jimin over to his cottage in a way that sounded way too dirty for Jimin’s ears, even though Yoongi’s voice was tired and sleepy. The older boy began stuttering after hearing Jimin giggle like a school kid talking about sex. 

MIN YOONGI: Good morning to you too

Smiling, Jimin picked up his phone to type as his rice was cooking. 

PARK JIMIN: Good morning grumpy cat  
MIN YOONGI: That’s a dead meme, I am not a dead meme  
MIN YOONGI: Besides it’s not a good morning  
PARK JIMIN: Don’t you dare speak ill of the grumpy cat  
PARK JIMIN: Oh no, what’s wrong?  
MIN YOONGI: You’re not here that’s what’s wrong  
PARK JIMIN: Awww  
MIN YOONGI: Breakfast would be done if you were here *pout*  
Jimin couldn’t stop himself from giggling as he switched off the rice cooker and fluffed up his rice. He picked up his phone again as his heart kept beating just a little bit faster.   
PARK JIMIN: Meanie  
MIN YOONGI: *kiss emoji*   
MIN YOONGI: Gotta go water the garden, I’ll pick you up from the same spot at 5 PM  
PARK JIMIN: Can’t wait  
MIN YOONGI: Me neither :) 

Jimin used to like mornings because they were quiet and peaceful but now he liked them just a little bit more because Yoongi liked them too - despite his grumpy demeanour. Smiling softly to himself, he set about finishing breakfast before Taehyung would barge in screaming about whatever was running through his mind.   
Soon enough, as Jimin was plating the food with Grey patting his feet, Taehyung walked into the kitchen with a big goofy smile on his face. Jimin beamed at his friend who was dressed in a casual pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. Taehyung was fashion incarnate in their small town which was evident by the way he was rocking such a casual outfit  
. Jimin would look like a homeless man if he went out wearing that. 

“Good morning,” Tae spoke excitedly as he sat down at the breakfast table in front of Jimin. Taehyung was sunny days at the beach and massive tornadoes at the same time, he was everything at once for everybody and everybody felt his presence, including Jimin. The younger boy forces his way in, elbows everybody to reach whatever he wants to reach and he doesn’t apologise for his ambitions all the while charming people with his gorgeous, good-natured smile. This is one of the reasons why Jimin loved Taehyung so much, he liked how unapologetic he was and the effect it had on others. The first time they ditched class was when they were thirteen. They didn’t even know where to go or what to do but the idea was so exciting, it made Jimin’s knees weak and his heart race faster as he climbed out of the bathroom window, following Taehyung’s lead. 

He felt alive as Tae and Jungkook giggled, they ran out to the park where they played on the swings and ran around until they fell on the wet grass - too exhausted to care about the grass stains on their uniforms. Jimin felt himself reach the sky before he dropped to the ground. He could still remember the way his heart dropped into his stomach, making him feel sick when their teacher marched across the park to where they were chatting quietly. He could see her face, how disappointed she was and how it made his heart hurt to know he disappointed anybody. But Tae, well, he stood up almost solemnly, a solemn thirteen year old, and told her he didn’t feel bad for having fun. Of course, they ended up in detention and their parents were called in, but Jimin and Jungkook started looking up to Taehyung after that even though, looking back he now realizes that they must have looked like absolute idiots running around the park in their school uniforms, thinking they won’t get caught. 

“Morning,” Jimin answered, holding in his giggles. Taehyung always made him feel just a little high for some reason yet Jimin never understood why. The younger boy never tried too hard at anything except maybe impressing his family but everything came so naturally to him, including making Jimin happy. 

“Did you talk to Jungkook?” Tae asked as they began eating. Jimin watched Tae eat before responding. Taehyung was a messy eater, he almost looked childish as he slurped his soup and shovelled rice into his mouth. Despite coming from such a high class, important family, Taehyung never behaved like he was above anybody. He ate his food like he never ate anything before and he spoke to everybody like he knew them, really knew them.

“Yeah, we talked a bit last night, mostly about Lisa and his parents,” Jimin said, feeling slightly irritated. Jungkook was different, everyone knew that. He never had trouble with girls and he was incredibly smart and creative but as a whole, Jungkook was the type of person who liked his own misery and as much as Jimin and Tae loved him, they also would have liked to be able to smack some sense into their friend sometimes. 

“Let me guess, they got back together and everything is so peachy and lovely now,” Tae scoffed when Jimin nodded, tiredly. “I love him, I really do but maybe we should stop giving him advice about it.” 

“I don’t know, you don’t give up on friends, even if they’re stubborn,” Jimin shrugged as he ate his soup. Grey tapped his arm, asking for food with her pretty, big eyes. 

“That’s not what I’m saying, I just think he’ll never listen to us,” Taehyung said as he scooped the last of his food into his mouth. His words came out weird as he chewed on his food, making Jimin cringe. 

“Should he?” Jimin asked, feeling uneasy as he picked up their dishes and moved to the sink to wash them. Taehyung didn’t move from his spot, he just watched Jimin wash the dishes as Grey moved onto him, begging for attention. He scratched the cat’s ears and chin. 

“Are you saying their relationship is a good idea?” 

“I’m saying it doesn’t matter what I think,” Jimin skipped a beat before he finally broke the silence. He dried the dishes and started putting them away. “You said it yourself that you’re not happy about me hanging out with Yoongi.” 

“That’s different…” Tae murmured as they went up to Jimin’s bedroom. “You’re flirting with danger, Jungkook - he’s complacent in a bad situation with a girl who doesn’t like him anymore.” 

Jimin sighed, knowing where the younger boy was coming from. Taehyung wasn’t trying to tell Jungkook what to do, he wasn’t trying to order the boy around. He was just worried - Jimin was worried too, not because he thought that Jungkook couldn’t handle his own problems, but because he thought that the younger didn’t want to help himself. 

They sat down on Jimin’s bed, Jimin’s head rested on Tae’s chest as the younger boy wrapped his arms around Jimin. They laid there quietly for a while with Jimin drawing circles on Tae’s chest, thinking. Grey was wrapped around Jimin’s bum, purring loudly as Taehyung scratched her head, his other arm covering his eyes. 

“Do you have your shopping list?” Tae asked without moving. He didn’t want to ruin the peaceful moment they created. 

“Mhm,” Jimin answered simply, too comfortable to actually look up at Tae. “I’m staying at Yoongi’s tonight.” 

Tae pulled his arm away from his eyes and looked down at his friend. Jimin felt his stare and he decided not to look up, knowing that whatever he would see wouldn’t make him happy. He was hoping that Tae spending some time with Yoongi in a casual setting would sweeten his friend up a bit but of course, he was wrong. Tae, although a bit more open to the idea, was still worried for Jimin. 

“Will you be safe?” Tae asked, trying hard to keep the conversation short but meaningful at the same time. He didn’t want Jimin to feel like he was being policed but he didn’t want his friend to make a bad decision either. 

“Of course I’ll be safe,” Jimin said, finally looking up at Tae. 

“That’s all I want to know,” Tae said softly as Jimin smiled up at him. 

They laid there until Jimin’s aunt came to knock on his door. Park Jiwoo was the younger sister of Park Jisoo, Jimin’s mother. Jimin was thankful for his aunt who usually comes to visit every few months from outside of town. She spends a few weeks with him and his grandmother and sometimes she even brings her children, Jimin’s cousins with her. Jiwoo is the younger of the sisters and she is definitely more fun to be around, even Jimin’s grandma could attest to that. The house always seems to light up, the air thins and life gets just a bit easier when Jimin’s aunt is in town. 

“Good morning,” she said after poking her head in. “I’m about to take mum to meet her friends for the day.” 

“Make sure she -” Jimin started speaking before his aunt cut him off with a smile. 

“Takes her meds and has her lunch with her, I know Jimin,” Jiwoo said as she eyed Tae who smiled politely at her. They were both sat up in bed, feeling awkward to be cuddling in front of Jimin’s aunt. 

“Sorry, I just spend so much time with her that I became a bit of a control freak,” he said shyly and she giggled. 

“I know. Do you have any plans for today?” 

“Yeah, Tae and I are going to get groceries and I’ll be spending the night at a friend’s house.” 

“Sounds fun! Well, let me know if anything changes and have a good day!!” Jiwoo said, already closing the door behind her and making her exit. Jimin always thought that his aunt was characterised by the lightness she carrier with her - it was easy to forget that she was his mother’s sister when the two have always been so different. Where his mother was sharp edges and stern looks, his aunt was overly excited and caring. It was difficult to separate them from one another because they look so similar, but Jimin always preferred his aunt anyway. 

Getting ready to leave for the farmer’s market is always a struggle simply because Jimin has to drive to get there and he rarely enjoyed driving on a Saturday morning. Taehyung put on his seatbelt as Jimin adjusted his rear-view mirror. The drive to the farmer’s market, although short was always very annoying. Small towns are not necessarily known for traffic, everyone was always pretty easy going even during morning rush hour but for some damned reason, everyone liked going to the market at the same time every Saturday. Jimin tried going early, he tried going later, heck he even tried going during weekdays but nothing ever worked out in his favour. The produce was almost always double the price during weekdays and the people of the town saw the farmer’s market as some sort of social hub where they could all get together and gossip about each other. Jimin hated it and Taehyung loved how much Jimin hated it. 

It was ten thirty in the morning when Jimin and Taehyung got out of the car and made their way into the massive hangar looking building. Jimin noticed how the day was cold and foggy making the market look daunting and eerie. The structure of the farmers market was simple and easy to navigate - the walls were high, off white and thick enough to create a large enough area for all the food stands residing inside and the domed ceiling was made out of thick glass that almost turned the market into a glorified greenhouse. Walking in, Jimin eyed all the food stands - the fruit and vegetable section was the largest with the beautiful display of colourful vegetables, fruits and grains. The meat section was at the back of the hangar, the smell was almost insufferable during hot summer days - Jimin was happy it was only the middle of spring and still relatively cold outside.   
Taehyung read from the grocery list as Jimin made his way from one stand to another, picking up the food for the week. He always only picked the best vegetables from the same people who smiled kindly at him as he handed them the money. Taehyung never hung around for the small chit chat conversations but his smile managed to put every other customer at ease as Jimin was holding up the queue. 

As they finished buying everything on the list, they made their way towards the left side of the building where Jungkook’s stall was located. Jungkook’s family was pretty well known in town - not because they were affluent like Tae’s family nor because they’ve been there all their lives like Jimin’s grandparents but because his father is an angry, drunk veteran and his mother struggles to hold down the fort most of the time. Jungkook working at the farmer’s market is the only way he can afford to hang out with his friends and indulge in his photography slash media passion. Their family, although venerated for their war efforts and for all the things they lost when Jungkook’s father enlisted into the army, was still very, very poor. Jimin didn’t like to fixate on things like that though, he didn’t have a reason to because to him and Tae, Jungkook was just their very good friend. His lack of wealth didn’t bother them in the slightest. 

As Jimin moved the grocery bags from one hand to another, he began picking up on the conversations flowing through the air. The farmers market was a breeding ground for news, gossip and rumors and today was no different. People’s voices were low, hushed and secretive even though everyone was talking about the same thing. They were irritated and their voiced carried across an air of resentment. Their eyes stole glances at Taehyung who was normally oblivious but today he was very aware of their stares on the back of his head. Jimin shuddered slightly, words such as ‘murders’ and ‘clan’ hitting his ears. 

“Hey,” Jungkook said as he served another customer. Jimin and Taehyung greeted their friend from the side, making sure to let the actual customers know they weren’t queueing up as they waited for Jungkook to take his break. The younger took the money from his last customer and let his coworker take his place as he took off his apron and joined Jimin and Taehyung on their way to the exit. 

“Your family really needs to get the to the bottom of this whole thing, Tae,” Jungkook said, his voice full of worry. 

“People have been talking, huh?” Tae asked, his voice tired and meek as they stepped out of the hangar and made their way to Jimin’s car - a second hand chevy his grandmother bought from an old friend before he passed away. 

“Of course people have been talking! It’s the third dead body being dropped off into town in the past two weeks, people are scared!”   
Taehyung didn’t say anything. 

“Do you really think it’s an animal attack?” Jimin asked and Taehyung turned towards him with his eyes wide open. 

“What else could it be?” 

“You know what it could be as well as we do,” Jungkook muttered as he helped Jimin put away his groceries.


	8. Greek Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You are the definition of a hoarder,” Jimin laughed as Yoongi huffed, still holding onto his hand. “What’s that?”
> 
> “That’s where Moony likes to sleep,” Yoongi said and pointed towards the window ledge which housed a big, ugly throw pillow, two black candles and three green glass spheres hanging in front of the window. Moving around the room, Yoongi told Jimin stories of the different things he hoarded in his bedroom like the thick, blue quilt with different patterned patches sewn randomly across its great expanse he had over his bed which was made by Yoongi’s grand-grandmother for his grandmother and was then passed on to his mother and finally to him. They sat down on the bed and pointed at the constellations painted on Yoongi’s ceiling and Jimin realized that even though the stars weren’t actually real, they felt real enough when Yoongi was there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is rather long, longer than usual anyway. It is also where the pace and the action picks up so look forward to that. 
> 
> The title is a reference to the song Greek Tragedy by The Wombats.

Five o’clock came and went as Jimin shuffled on his feet by the edge of the forest. The air was crisp and cold and once again he was only wearing a thin pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a letterman jacket he stole from his last one night stand - a cute boy who came to visit his grandparents for the weekend. He kicked his small backpack slightly as he checked his phone over and over. Yoongi was only five minutes late but Jimin felt weird hanging out so close to the forest at this hour. He felt the breeze on the back of his neck and bit his lips - tasting the clear lip gloss. He checked his phone again and made sure his makeup didn’t smudge. Jimin didn’t want to look too put together but as he got ready to leave the house he saw his reflection in the mirror and he couldn’t not put on some BB cream and highlighter. ‘Yoongi shouldn’t be the only one looking like a fairy all the damn time’ he thought to himself as he stood up straight, trying not to let the creepy feeling overwhelm him. 

“Ahh!” Jimin screamed as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso. “Holy shit, Yoongi, don’t do that.” 

Jimin was whining as Yoongi laughed from behind him. The older boy hugged Jimin tighter against his chest and Jimin relaxed in the embrace, feeling instantly calmer and more at peace than he has in the past week. 

“You’re cute when you’re scared,” Yoongi said as Jimin spun around and hit his arm lightly for scaring him. He took in the sight that was Yoongi and he wasn’t disappointed - he never was. Jimin didn’t think anything could eclipse the beauty of the forest but Yoongi did just that with his gorgeous, big and sparkly eyes and his long, lanky legs. The older boy was wearing a pair of blue jeans, black boots and an oversized sweater which made him look like one of those cute boys that wear thigh high socks and chokers - Jimin followed a few of them on Instagram. But it wasn’t Yoongi’s slender frame or his wide chest that took Jimin’s breath away but the way the older boy was looking at Jimin with the softest look in his eyes. 

“That’s creepy,” Jimin said as he struggled to keep his heart from beating too loudly against his rib cage. “But kind of sweet too.” 

“If you say so,” Yoongi chuckled and Jimin picked up his bag. “Shall we?” 

Jimin nodded and they began making their way into the forest which looked just as beautiful and layered with charm as the first time he wandered through the woods. His eyes scanned each and every nook from the holes in the trees that housed squirrels to the beautiful blossomed trees and all the different colours that somehow managed to fit together. They stayed on the same path as the last time but this time Jimin really paid attention. He didn’t want Yoongi to have to come and pick him up from the edge of the forest every time Jimin wanted to visit. He picked up on the shapes of the trees and how they undulated under the strength of the cyclone that was the wind, the flowers that grew randomly at the trunks of said trees and made sure to commit them to memory all the while ignoring that familiar, hot feeling of being watched. Yoongi walked closely to Jimin, sensing his uneasiness as he walked through the woods. 

“Do you ever get lost?” Jimin asked, his voice meek against the cacophony of noises that the forest made. Yoongi let him cross the narrow bridge across the stream first. 

“Nope - I’ve been living here since I was eighteen so I’ve had plenty of time to learn every nook and cranny,” Yoongi said as Jimin looked up at him. “Plus I came here every summer to keep my mum company, the forest was pretty much my playground as I was growing up.” 

“Weren’t you ever scared?” Jimin asked, clearly uncomfortable with all the noises the trees and the birds made and the way the sun was beginning to set. It was late May but everything worked differently in the forest - the nights were longer and the summers were colder. Jimin didn’t know how to feel about that. 

“Not really, my mum was always there with me and she always assured me that nothing will ever hurt me here in the forest,” Yoongi said as they made their way through the thick, green foliage and stepped into Yoongi’s personal territory. Jimin felt a rush of energy fill him up as he marvelled at the beauty that was Yoongi’s cottage. The outside was just as beautiful and magical as it was the first time around and the gnomes in his front yard were positioned differently, clearly hard at work with their wheelbarrows and one of them even had a scythe. Jimin breathed in the clean air for the first time since he entered the forest, he felt the weird presence that followed him through the woods leave and his heartbeat returned to its normal pace. 

Yoongi opened the front door and let Jimin walk in first, making sure to lock the door behind them once they were inside. Jimin felt a sense of belonging wash over him which was then replaced by sheer embarrassment. ‘Get your shit together, Jimin, this is not the time to be a thirsty teenager’ he thought as Yoongi took his jacket and told him to make himself comfortable. Jimin dropped his bag by the couch and took in his surroundings. The house was warm, the fire in the fireplace roaring with life and giving the living room an orange hue. The overhead lights were dim. Yoongi’s place was just as messy as the first time Jimin broke into his house, only this time the piles of books were out of order and there were no empty coffee mugs strewn around the place. Yoongi clearly cleaned up before having Jimin over. The younger boy smiled and turned around to look at Yoongi who was beaming back at him, slightly shy and awkward in his stance. 

“What’s cooking?” Jimin asked as he caught a whiff of dinner and lavender. Yoongi grinned at him - they both loved food just a little bit too much. 

“Roast lamb and store-bought cheesecake,” Yoongi said and watched as Jimin swallowed back his saliva. He chuckled and asked Jimin whether he wanted coffee or tea to which the younger asked for tea. Jimin hung around the kitchen as Yoongi made his tea, trying to ignore the cauldron in the corner of the kitchen - the smell of lavender was too pungent and he wrinkled his nose to stop it from hurting. He watched the older boy glide around his own kitchen like some sort of gorgeous fairy and he couldn’t help but want to pull him into his arms and hold him there forever. 

Jimin couldn’t take his eyes off Yoongi’s home - every little trinket made Jimin’s eyes bounce with curiosity. He noticed the broom hanging over the door with its bristles facing up and the small, beautiful knife placed carefully by Yoongi’s mini herb garden. The knife had a black handle with a pentacle carved into it and the blade looked sharp enough to slay dragons. Jimin loved Yoongi’s home but he was also a little scared of it. 

“Like what you see?” Yoongi asked as he approached the younger with a mug of steaming lavender tea. Jimin felt slightly sick at the overpowering scent coming from the cauldron and now his mug. He picked up the mug from Yoongi and enjoyed the warmth seeping through the ceramic as well as the smooth skin of Yoongi’s hands. He smiled shyly after trying the tea under Yoongi’s watchful eyes. 

“Definitely,” Jimin muttered and Yoongi grinned. 

“Alright, let me show you the rest of the house,” Yoongi said and took Jimin’s hand, pulling him towards the stairs. Jimin held his mug with the other hand and enjoyed the feeling of holding Yoongi’s hand - the scent of lavender followed them. He let his thumb run over Yoongi’s knuckles as the older boy showed him his room which was right above the living room. Yoongi’s bedroom was just an extension of Yoongi. It was dimly lit and cosy, full of books on every possible surface except maybe the bed. He chuckled at the woven basket of snacks by the bed and the posters of kpop idols that littered the wall above his bed. His wardrobe doors were decorated with polaroids of him and his friends, concert tickets and poetry written for him by past lovers. Being in Yoongi’s room made Jimin feel warm inside as well as a bit inadequate - his own bedroom was akin to the inside of an Operating Room. Sterile, methodical and surgical in its nature, Jimin could only expect a clash of personalities in their future. He sipped his tea carefully. 

“You are the definition of a hoarder,” Jimin laughed as Yoongi huffed, still holding onto his hand. “What’s that?”

“That’s where Moony likes to sleep,” Yoongi said and pointed towards the window ledge which housed a big, ugly throw pillow, two black candles and three green glass spheres hanging in front of the window. Moving around the room, Yoongi told Jimin stories of the different things he hoarded in his bedroom like the thick, blue quilt with different patterned patches sewn randomly across its great expanse he had over his bed which was made by Yoongi’s grand-grandmother for his grandmother and was then passed on to his mother and finally to him. They sat down on the bed and pointed at the constellations painted on Yoongi’s ceiling and Jimin realized that even though the stars weren’t actually real, they felt real enough when Yoongi was there.

They moved onto the library which was on the other side of the upstairs floor. Jimin didn’t ask to see the other room which he suspected that it belonged to Yoongi’s mother back when she was alive. Her door was different from all the other doors in the house - it was painted with a blackboard paint and had pentacles drawn all over it in chalk as well as two toddler hands near the bottom. Jimin thought those could be Yoongi’s hands but he didn’t want to impose. 

The library was a big room made of four walls, each wall lined with towering bookcases made out of solid dark wood that housed books from all genres and fields. Just from where he was standing in the doorway, Jimin could see medical books, old tomes and new Young Adult novels all on the same shelf. The sight took Jimin’s breath away. Yoongi watched Jimin’s eyes run from one shelf to another, mentally tracing their beautiful spines and hoping they’d open themselves up for him. Jimin exhaled shakily, the literature lover inside of him melting slowly but surely. Yoongi was in love. 

“You can go and explore,” Yoongi piped in with a soft smile on his face and Jimin let go of his hand and moved further into the room. He scanned each shelf and pulled out books he hasn’t ever heard of as Yoongi sat down in the middle of the room on one of the two, very comfortable looking chairs. The other chair was occupied by a sleeping Moony.   
Jimin put down his mug on the small end table which was positioned in between the two armchairs. 

“Holy shit, Yoongi,” Jimin muttered, feeling overwhelmed. “Just how many books do you have in this house?” 

“Uh, I’m not sure,” Yoongi scratched the back of his neck. “I’ve never counted them.” 

“You’ve had this goldmine in your house and you didn’t tell me? Shame on you,” Jimin joked and Yoongi chuckled. 

“I wanted to surprise you,” Yoongi offered and Jimin scoffed. 

“Consider me surprised!” 

By the time dinner was ready, Jimin hadn’t left the library once. Yoongi went in and out to check on the food and make more tea for Jimin who seemed to enjoy snacking as he browsed quietly through his mother’s books, but other than that he was content just sitting in one of the armchairs, watching his love interest fawn over books. He watched Jimin’s eyes glow intensely as he read the blurbs of some of the books he picked out and he revelled in the way Jimin’s cheeks heated up when he caught Yoongi staring. 

“Dinner’s ready,” Yoongi announced from the doorway and Jimin looked up to see his crush leaning sexily against the door frame with his arms crossed across his broad chest. Jimin felt a pang in his chest, the book completely forgotten. “Come on you book fiend.” 

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Jimin pouted as they walked down the stairs and towards Yoongi’s breakfast nook where he laid out their food neatly. 

“I don’t think there could ever be a bad thing about you,” Yoongi scoffed at Jimin’s raised eyebrow.   
The smell of the food made Jimin’s stomach do a somersault in celebration. He hadn’t had lunch since Taehyung decided he wanted to go window shopping instead. They both sat down across from each other at the round, wooden table. Eating with Yoongi was easy. It was easy to sit across from the older boy and discuss flavours, textures and preferences and it was fun swapping recipe ideas and tips. Yoongi was definitely a better cook than Jimin was - he has had to fend for himself longer than Jimin. They talked animatedly as they dug into their food, too engrossed in their conversation to care for appearances. Yoongi talked Jimin’s ear off about the latest book he read and how one of the characters reminded him so much of Jimin and how Jimin couldn’t stop blushing the first time they met a couple of weeks ago which made Jimin’s cheeks burn and his heart beat faster. Jimin told him that he noticed a couple of his old friends coming back into town for the summer which sparked a conversation about whether either of them would move out of the small town they were living into the big city. Jimin knew Jungkook silently dreamed of making it to Seoul, but Jimin wasn’t so sure about himself. He didn’t exactly have a five-year plan the way most people his age did. Yoongi seemed to share that sentiment. 

After finishing their dinner Yoongi took out the cheesecake from the fridge and opened the door to his backyard which was fenced off with a white picket fence - very suburban, Jimin thought as he closed the door behind him only after letting Moony out. The cat purred loudly as he rubbed his back against Jimin’s legs a couple of times, not allowing the younger of the two men to move from his spot. Looking up, Jimin realized that he has never seen Yoongi’s backyard but that it looked so perfectly Yoongi that Jimin had to let out a quiet giggle. The yard was relatively big and the grass was well looked after but the thing Jimin loved the most was the swing set on the far left of the yard and the long clothesline in the middle of the yard. Yoongi also had rows of vegetables and a couple of herb pots strewn about but his yard was mostly decorated with gnomes and crystals which sparked in the glory of the sunset. Yoongi was already sitting down on a small bench when Jimin sat next to him, pulling the handmade throw blanket over both their laps. 

The moment seemed oddly intimate, not necessarily in a romantic way. Everything about Yoongi was overwhelming in some way or another, despite his laid-back vibe and living-off-the-grid attitude. Yoongi was a mountain in and of itself, his rich blue eyes reminded Jimin of caves and sapphire mines, perilous and stunning all at once. Jimin couldn’t help but get lost in those eyes, so much so that even sitting next to Yoongi or talking to him on the phone for hours was overwhelming, breathtaking and maddening. It would have made Jimin angry if it wasn’t for the sense of peace Yoongi brought into his life. It confused him and if it was someone else Jimin would have already left, he was never one for commitment and suspected that he will never be one of those people chasing marriage, children and picket fences yet here he was, encased in a picket fence utopia with a man he could spend the rest of his life with and never get bored. All because he found Yoongi thrilling, breathtaking, calming and absolutely unsettling at the same time. Jimin loved it despite how confused he was whenever Yoongi was around. 

The two ate their cheesecake silently, not aware of the other’s racing thoughts. Jimin could feel Yoongi’s hand on the bottom of the tin plate every time he held onto it to scrape more cake onto his fork. He blushed when he realized that he was thinking so deeply about Yoongi while the older boy was right next to him. Yoongi watched him carefully and smiled, enjoying the blush that crept up his neck and onto his cheeks. Moony meowed loudly and tapped Jimin’s knee, begging for cake. 

“Don’t give him any,” Yoongi said and Jimin chuckled. “He’s only tapping your knee because he knows I won’t give him any.” 

“You’ve got a smart cat,” Jimin smiled and booped Moony’s brown, wet nose. The cat shook his head and sneezed before walking away. Jimin could almost hear the cat’s irritated thoughts. He laughed. 

They finished the rest of the cake in silence, watching as the sky turned blue. It almost reminded Jimin of a wet canvas with watercolours flowing freely to paint a picture. Jimin noticed the colours changing from blue to yellow with specks of orange, to pink and red and ultimately a dark blue speckled with tiny stars. Almost as if someone shook a brush full of white paint on the canvas, small blobs standing out from the rest of the painting, giving it life. It was easier to watch the sky in all its glory from Yoongi’s cottage in the woods, the world felt freer and Jimin thought it would also feel scarier if it weren’t for Yoongi sitting next to him, their knees touching. 

It was seven thirty in the evening when they went back inside with Moony. Yoongi made sure to lock the door to the backyard as Jimin picked up his mug of tea from the counter. Yoongi made himself some tea as well before they went to sit down on the couch which was by the dining table. The kitchen/dining area was separated by a bookcase made out of fruit crates which was full of books, mugs filled with pens and little trinkets that made Yoongi’s house even more interesting to look at. From his spot on the couch, Jimin saw a teddy bear wearing a blue shirt with Yoongi’s name sewn across the chest. 

“My dad bought me that when I was about ten years old,” Yoongi said as he sat down, one leg under his body, with his tea in both hands. Jimin couldn’t help but think he was so adorable in the way he held his mug with his long and sturdy fingers and the way his eyes sparkled under the dim light of his living room. “I think he went to Seoul that summer so when I went back for the school year he gave me that teddy bear as a ‘welcome home’ present.” 

“It looks well loved,” Jimin said softly and Yoongi nodded. “Actually, I got something for you.” 

Jimin reached over for his backpack as Yoongi’s eyes followed him, he was bouncing with excitement. Jimin thought there could never be anyone in the world who loves surprises as much as Yoongi loves them. Surprise texts and selfies, surprise calls and coffee dates. Jimin opened his backpack and pulled out a hefty book and handed it to Yoongi who smiled brightly. The book was Orlando by Virginia Woolf, Jimin’s favourite book which he promised he’d lend to Yoongi. The older has been teasing him about it ever since they first met and Jimin finally brought it with him. Yoongi chuckled and flipped through the pages to see that the entire book is annotated with notes and little witty remarks. 

“Well I got something for you too,” Yoongi said without looking up. “I found a book by Virginia Woolf in one of my mum’s piles and I thought you’d like it.”

Finally looking up, Yoongi noticed the way Jimin was staring at him with soft, loving eyes and he blushed. 

“Uh, it’s somewhere on the coffee table,” Yoongi muttered, not used to feeling his cheeks burn up the way they do when he’s around Jimin. He pointed Jimin in the close vicinity of the book and let him rummage through the pile of books and papers on his coffee table. ‘I should really clean it up,’ Yoongi thought before he heard Jimin’s loud exhale.   
Looking up, Yoongi saw a letter from the mayor in the younger man’s hands. The letter was for Yoongi and it already had a coffee stain on it. Jimin’s heart clenched when he saw Taehyung’s father’s name next to the mayor’s name on the letter. He couldn’t help but peek at the contents, but before he could feel ashamed for reading Yoongi’s mail, his heart dropped and he began feeling anxious. “Uh, what do they mean by ‘after years of peaceful collaboration with your mother, we would like to enlist you to help protect our town by aiding us with your abilities’?”

Yoongi pursed his lips and put the book in his hands down. He didn’t want Jimin to find out like this, he didn’t even want Jimin to know. ‘I guess with everything going on he was going to find out anyway’, Yoongi thought, already feeling tired. His heart ached when he noticed how distressed Jimin was. 

“To be honest I didn’t know about the deal they had with my mother. I got this letter two days ago and I’ve been trying to figure out what they want from me.”

“Abilities?” Yoongi noticed how uncomfortable Jimin was becoming by the way his aura changed from a pretty shade of blush pink to an alarming black, his tea and the promise of a new book long forgotten. Yoongi sighed as Jimin was trying to process Yoongi’s words - this is not how he thought the night would end. 

“I told you I was a witch… Come on Jimin, what exactly did you think was going on when you found a house in the woods, the cauldron and all the damn crystals around the house?” Jimin swallowed loudly, his mind working fast to understand what was going on. Suddenly, all the times Yoongi ‘joked’ about being a witch sprung to mind. Jimin released a breath he was holding, feeling a headache coming. His hands were slowly going numb, a panic attack looming in his bones. 

“I just thought you were quirky,” Jimin muttered, feeling his chest ache he looked around the room at all the things that should have stood out to Jimin just a little bit more - his entire body felt heavy like he couldn’t move. “Um, I should probably go.” 

“Don’t be silly,” Jimin bit his lips, looking out of the window. It was already too late and even though he did his best to learn the way to Yoongi’s house, he still didn’t know the way well enough to comfortably make it home. He looked back at Yoongi who looked like a very sad puppy and his heart kind of warmed up a bit. ‘Snap out of it,’ Jimin thought as he wiped his hands on his jeans. 

“Witches don’t exist,” he spoke slowly, trying to make sure that Yoongi knew that if he was just messing around Jimin wouldn’t be very impressed. Yoongi pursed his lips again, his facial expression pensive. Suddenly, he got up making Jimin jump slightly. He stalked across the room to the fireplace where he picked up an old leather-bound journal. 

“This -” he said as he sat back down next to Jimin. “Was my mother’s Book of Shadows.” 

“Uh, what is a Book of Shadow?” Jimin asked, feeling stupid just saying the words. He picked up the journal and untied the bow slowly, trying not to mess it up. He flipped through the journal, trying to make sense of what was going on. Just earlier that morning he was cuddling Taehyung, dreaming about coming over to Yoongi’s magical cottage in the woods. Jimin snorted, finally understanding why he thought the cottage was so magical. The journal’s cover was malleable yet soft, a rich burnt orange colour and very heavy in his hands. The old pages held well for how much love they got from Yoongi’s mother. Jimin traced the ink on one of the yellowing pages and admired the artwork on the side before thumbing one of the dried flowers between the pages of the journal. 

“It’s, uh, hard to explain,” Jimin looked at him dead in the eye. “It’s basically a notebook where you write down spells and prayers, potion recipes and descriptions of different plants and what they do, that kind of thing.” 

“It’s like one of those grimoires we see on TV, right?” Jimin asked, still paying close attention to the way he was handling the journal. Although he found the entire situation weird, funny even, he could feel the significance of the book he was holding. He was holding generations of tradition and knowledge between his two small hands and he didn’t want to be the one to ruin it. 

“Kind of,” Yoongi smiled. 

“Uh,” Jimin licked his lips tentatively, not sure if he should really believe Yoongi. “Do you have one?” 

“Yes, well, I started mine when I was nineteen but it’s definitely not like my mother’s,” Yoongi said and Jimin nodded carefully. “This is weird.” 

“I thought it might be,” Jimin looked at Yoongi, tracing his features with his eyes and settling on his eyes. Even with all the confusion, the racing of his heart and the feeling of impending danger, he still felt oddly calm and safe around Yoongi. The strange feeling made him angry, why couldn’t he react like a normal human being? 

“For the record, I never kept it away from you,” Yoongi said as he tucked away his mother’s Book of Shadows. Moony stretched on the other side of the room, making his way towards the two boys. “I knew you didn’t believe me but I never wanted to keep it from you and I never wanted you to realize that I am telling the truth this way.” 

“You’re not like, dangerous, are you?” Jimin felt stupid asking. Yoongi chuckled. 

“Not unless you want me to be.”


	9. Your Side of the Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Jimin wandered around the room, despite how tired he was he couldn’t shake off the odd feeling that he was dreaming. The room didn’t help much either, all the witchy stuff gave Jimin the creeps and Moony just watched him with his big, gorgeous yet scary eyes from the window ledge. Jimin was unnerved, to say the least. He changed into his pyjamas which consisted of a pair of black shorts and a purple t-shirt before getting under the heavy duvet and quilt. Yoongi’s bed felt like a fortress with all the pillows and the blankets, Jimin even found a little grey stuffed elephant stuck between the mattress and the wall. 
> 
> He tried to fall asleep, it was nearly two in the morning and he was so, so tired but the nagging feeling tugging at his chest wouldn’t go away. His mind raced with all the information it was fed the day before and he just couldn’t fall asleep. Although the main cause of his confusion stemmed from the gorgeous man sleeping in the living room, Jimin found himself wishing he could sleep next to Yoongi, where he felt at peace."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Your Side of the Bed by Loote
> 
> This chapter took me a full day to write after thinking and daydreaming about it for an entire week. I did my best to check it for spelling errors but after not having slept a full 8 hours in ages, my brain is kinda numb. Anyway, I really like how this chapter turned out so I hope you like it too!

Blinking once, twice, Jimin opened his eyes and let his gaze fall on the ceiling above him. His entire body was stiff and his mouth was paper dry. Not to mention the numbness in his right hand which was tucked neatly under his chin. ‘The fuck?’ Jimin blinked again, trying to remember where he was. Memories of last night rushed in furiously, making the blonde wince and rub his face against the soft pillow. He couldn’t believe he stayed over after finding out he was crushing (hard) on a witch. Jimin tried once again to rationalize with himself, witches are not real, they’re just not so he must have been dreaming. Looking up from the confines of the pile of blankets he was wrapped in, he saw Yoongi’s mother’s Book of Shadows perched on the mantle of the fireplace, he swallowed loudly.   
Thinking back to the rest of the evening he realized that it was rather uneventful, if not a bit tense and weird but Yoongi did his best to offset the awkward atmosphere and Jimin was grateful for that. They ended up talking a bit more about Yoongi being a witch, Jimin didn’t really believe him but he decided not to say anything. Instead, he just tucked his legs under his body and drank the rest of his tea as Yoongi told him stories of how he found out his mother was a witch and how he first found his powers. Even when he was talking crazy, Jimin couldn’t stop his heart from racing against his ribcage for the older boy whose eyes were soft and understanding and just a little bit teasing. Jimin hated himself for it, but not really, he mostly hated the fact that he didn’t know how to feel about the entire situation. How was he supposed to believe in a concept so extraordinary? At the same time, somewhere deep in his heart, he knew Yoongi was being truthful, he just had that feeling tugging at his heart that tells him this is real and he’s not making it up in his head. 

The two ended up snacking on popcorn and watching movies until late into the night. Jimin was tired, he had been awake for too long and the shock from that afternoon exhausted him so Yoongi showed him up to his bedroom where he would be sleeping. Alone. Yoongi then retreated to the living room where he would be sleeping for the night. Jimin figured the older boy didn’t like sleeping in his mother’s room and after the weird evening they shared, he didn’t think they’d be sleeping in the same room either. Jimin wandered around the room, despite how tired he was he couldn’t shake off the odd feeling that he was dreaming. The room didn’t help much either, all the witchy stuff gave Jimin the creeps and Moony just watched him with his big, gorgeous yet scary eyes from the window ledge. Jimin was unnerved, to say the least. He changed into his pyjamas which consisted of a pair of black shorts and a purple t-shirt before getting under the heavy duvet and quilt. Yoongi’s bed felt like a fortress with all the pillows and the blankets, Jimin even found a little grey stuffed elephant stuck between the mattress and the wall. 

He tried to fall asleep, it was nearly two in the morning and he was so, so tired but the nagging feeling tugging at his chest wouldn’t go away. His mind raced with all the information it was fed the day before and he just couldn’t fall asleep. Although the main cause of his confusion stemmed from the gorgeous man sleeping in the living room, Jimin found himself wishing he could sleep next to Yoongi, where he felt at peace. 

Cursing himself, he got out of bed and made his way out of the bedroom and down the stairs into the living room where the atmosphere changed from a dimly lit, dinner date vibe to a cosy and warm one. Jimin felt warm on the inside as he made his way all the way to the bottom of the stairs. The only light illuminating the room was coming from the fireplace and Yoongi was laying on one of the couches with his arm over his eyes. The older boy looked tired, his other arm falling over the edge of the couch. Jimin noticed how the faint, orange glow coming from the fireplace landed on Yoongi just perfectly, making his pale skin shimmer and his pink lips gleam. Jimin rubbed his tummy, willing it to still.   
Looking up, Yoongi saw Jimin hanging awkwardly on the last step of his stairs. The boy was underdressed for the coolness of the forest. His hair was messy and his eyes were droopy and Yoongi’s heart was doing cartwheels in his chest as he watched the boy squirm under Yoongi’s heated stare. Swallowing back a bit of tension, Yoongi rationalised that the younger felt uncomfortable sleeping in his bedroom. The fact that Jimin would rather sleep next to him made his heart swell up with fondness. Slowly, he moved to make some space for Jimin and patted the space next to him. Jimin padded over to the couch and got in under the blanket covering the witch. 

Yoongi curled around the younger boy, spooning him from behind. He rested his cheek against Jimin’s shoulder-blades and wrapped one of his arms around his tummy - he noticed the way Jimin’s body responded to his touches, the way the younger’s skin heated under his and the way his breathing came out heavy. Jimin willed himself to relax in the embrace but soon enough Yoongi’s fingers began caressing his tummy and Jimin couldn’t help but scrunch up his eyes. The pads of Yoongi’s fingers traced warm, unintelligible patterns onto his skin as the older breathed in and out on his back, making Jimin shiver. Slowly, trying not to disrupt the peace of the moment, Jimin turned around, Yoongi’s hand slipping to the small of his back where he stroked the skin affectionately. Jimin looked at Yoongi whose eyes were closed and lips stretched slightly into a smile. He took in the fairness of his skin and his long eyelashes but he decided he liked Yoongi’s lips the best - the way his lower lip was fuller and his top lip was bowed beautifully, Jimin thought the older boy was pretty like this. He felt all the emotions he had throughout the day crash into him, leaving him slightly winded as he revelled in Yoongi’s beauty. Although shaking slightly with anticipation, Jimin moved his face closer and bit his lip before asking Yoongi for permission to kiss him. His voice wavered but didn’t rise above a mere whisper. Without answering, Yoongi leaned in and pecked Jimin’s soft lips. Closing his eyes, Jimin let himself feel excited and calm at the same time while Yoongi’s pillowy, warm lips brushed faintly against his own. His chest tightened painfully as their lips lingered for a second before they pulled apart and even though the kiss was short, a few seconds long maybe, Jimin felt like an eternity passed while their world fell apart and came together in the matter of a few seconds. Jimin’s entire body was on fire, his head was spinning and his lips were tingling. Slowly, Yoongi pulled Jimin against his chest and the two fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

Sighing, Jimin touched his lips gingerly, remembering their first kiss. He didn’t think their first kiss would go down like that, none of Jimin’s first kisses were as sweet and warm as the one he shared with Yoongi. He kissed people in the back seat of his car, in clubs and coffee shops and empty classrooms but never in his life did Jimin feel so loved when kissed by someone. He smiled at the warmth pooling in his chest and rubbed the spot tenderly. 

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Jimin stretched out his limbs and looked over at his phone which indicated that it was only eight thirty in the morning. Sighing, he unlocked his  
phone and sent his aunt a message to remind her that his grandma needed to take the red pills every morning with her cup of tea. He then texted the group chat he was in with Jungkook and Taehyung to let them know that he woke up and that he was fine. The three of them had this little ritual where they would text each other as soon as they woke up even though they weren’t meeting up that day. Jimin thought the habit stuck from when they were younger and met up to go to school together every morning. As he was typing in a reply, he heard the stairs creak under Yoongi’s weight and he looked up to see the older boy freshly out of the shower with his hair slightly wet and no shirt on. Jimin swallowed loudly and tried not to fixate on the bare expanse of chest and the way his muscles moved under his skin. 

“Good morning,” Yoongi said softly as he dried his hair with a towel. He watched as Jimin checked him out and he couldn’t help but chuckle at the younger’s fiery cheeks. “What do you want for breakfast?” 

“Uh, anything works,” Jimin said and looked down at his phone, feeling stupid for getting caught. 

“You have to tell me,” Yoongi said as he walked closer to where Jimin was sitting on the couch. The witch’s voice was low and raspy and Jimin pouted, knowing the older boy was teasing him on purpose. 

“Uh, I will -” Jimin started saying only to look up into Yoongi’s smoldering gaze. “But you gotta put a shirt on first.” 

Yoongi laughed and Jimin blushed harder. The older boy went to retrieve a shirt as Jimin stood up to fold the blankets which he stacked neatly on the couch. Stretching, he picked up his backpack from where he left it the night before and went to do his morning routine. As he came back downstairs wearing a pair of light blue ripped jeans and a white oversized sweater, he heard Yoongi humming a sweet tune from the kitchen. Jimin watched Yoongi with a fond smile as the older boy swayed from one side of the kitchen to the other, his feet gliding as he reached for the fridge, then made quick work of chopping vegetables and throwing them in a heated pan. Jimin liked looking at Yoongi, he came to realize that it might just be one of his favourite past times, weirdly enough. He liked the way Yoongi was casual in everything he did, the older boy was never tense, instead he sang happily as he cooked the two of them breakfast with Moony weaving his long body between Yoongi’s legs and ultimately wrapping his tail around one of his ankles before running away happily. Jimin cooed at Moony’s sweet antic, earning a big smile from Yoongi. 

“Let me help,” Jimin said, feeling like he should do something other than drooling over Yoongi in his own home. 

“It’s alright, I don’t want to put you to work,” Yoongi said with an easy smile as he poured a mixture of soy sauce, maple syrup and half a squeezed lemon juice all over the vegetables. Jimin listened to the sound of the liquid frying in the pan and breathed in the strong scent of soy sauce. 

“Don’t be silly, just tell me what to do,” Jimin replied, trying not to show just how eager he was to be a part of Yoongi’s little morning ritual. 

Yoongi turned out to be a good instructor. His voice was clear as he directed Jimin around the kitchen and Jimin couldn’t help but feel accomplished when he managed to reheat the leftover soup from Yoongi’s fridge all the while noting all the other, weird little witch things like the clear crystal by the stove or the lunar calendar hanging from one of the cupboard knobs. The rice cooker beeped loudly and like a well oiled machine, the two of them made quick work of the rice, the soup and the vegetables and soon enough they were sat at Yoongi’s small breakfast nook stuffing their faces with Yoongi’s delicious cooking. 

“I want to show you something,” Yoongi said quietly after they finished eating. The older boy picked up their empty dishes and went over to dump them in the sink before turning around to face Jimin. He watched as Jimin fumbled nervously with his sweater sleeves, obviously curious about Yoongi’s proposition. 

“Yeah?” Jimin asked tentatively, not knowing what to expect. The older boy smiled kindly, trying to ease Jimin’s mind. 

“Yeah. In fact, I think this might just help make up your mind about the whole magic thing.” 

“Okay -” Jimin began talking before he stopped himself, not knowing how to stop a conversation about witchcraft from going awfully wrong. The younger boy didn’t understand Yoongi’s powers nor did he knew how to discuss them but he was slowly but surely more open to accepting them as fact. 

“Do you trust me?” Yoongi said, not wanting to push Jimin into something he was uncomfortable with. God knows Yoongi knew a couple of things about being pushed too far. 

Without an ounce of hesitation, the younger boy nodded his head and Yoongi beamed at him. 

Soon enough, the two boys left Yoongi’s cottage and started walking north through the thick evergreen forest. As soon as they left Yoongi’s enclosure, Jimin felt his entire body being weighed down and watched. He wrapped his arms around his small body as Yoongi told him stories of all the things he did in the forest when he was a young boy. The way Yoongi talked about his summers with his mum made Jimin a bit jealous of him. Jimin himself never had a good relation with either of his parents and while his grandmother was a sweet lady while she was in good health, she could never truly fill that hole in Jimin’s chest. He tried to replace his parents with other people’s parents, Taehyung’s parents to be exact, but in the end, he realised that he might as well accept the fact that he wasn’t meant to have that bond with his family the way other people did.   
Jimin asked questions about the flowers they encountered along the way, about birds and squirrels and the trees just to watch Yoongi’s eyes light up with pure, adorable excitement. His mouth turned pouty as he was explaining things to Jimin and his eyes sparkled beautifully. Although the weird, heavy feeling never left his bones, he felt much lighter hearing Yoongi’s happy babble about the forest he calls home. 

The further the two walked into the forest the colder the air became and Jimin shivered slightly only to have Yoongi pull him against his side. Blushing, Jimin reached to intertwine his fingers with Yoongi’s cold fingers that were wrapped around Jimin’s body. The position was weird and awkward as they tried walking through the forest but it made Jimin’s heart flutter nonetheless. Jimin noticed that the deeper they got into the forest, the dimmer the sunlight got and the animal sounds grew fainter and fainter with every step, as though no creature lived in the deepest part of the woods. Jimin also noticed that he found himself struggling to breathe slightly. He looked up at Yoongi curiously and slightly alarmed and the older boy shot him a comforting look. 

Soon enough, they walked into a clearing in the forest, a small meadow of some sort that housed a small pond. The heavy feeling left Jimin instantly and he could finally breathe again as he took in the beauty in front of him. The rest of the forest was beautiful, sure, but this. This made Jimin’s heart ache with new-found love for Yoongi’s forest. The trees parted to make way for the blue sky and their thick brown branches and deep green leaves left a soft feeling in Jimin’s chest, which he rubbed away as he walked slowly forward, taking in everything his eyes would allow. He let his eyes wander over the flower beds raising from the soil; bluebells, violets, trout lilies and bellwort adorned the green grass that led to the pond in the middle of the small meadow. The pond water was clear with a slightly green, maybe blue hue and the rocks at the bottom shone beautifully under the sunshine. The fish swimming in the pond looked like they were made of gold, jasper and amber. Jimin watched with his heart in his throat as the fish gurgled happily. 

He jumped slightly when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso and Yoongi’s chin resting on his shoulder. Leaning back into the embrace and wrapping his arms around Yoongi’s own arms, Jimin couldn’t believe what he was seeing - the beauty of the nature, the clean air and the slight breeze made him feel more alive than he has ever felt before. He didn’t know how he lived his life before feeling this sense of peace, the way he moved through life made this moment a mere stroke of serendipity. 

“Are you ready?” Yoongi asked, his voice a careless whisper against Jimin’s throat. 

“R-ready for what?” Jimin asked, blushing a deep shade of red. 

“To believe in magic,” Yoongi muttered simply but the words made Jimin shiver. Breathing in and out carefully, he let his thoughts wander through his own timeline of happy moments and sad moments, mistakes and nights of crying himself to sleep or finding solace in some stranger’s body and he finally understood that everything led to this moment in time. 

Jimin nodded. 

Yoongi moved slowly behind him, unwrapping himself from the warm embrace and pulling Jimin closer to the pond. He sat down on the slightly wet grass and pulled Jimin by the hand to do the same. Jimin watched Yoongi carefully, his eyes trained on every move and his heart ready to leap through his mouth. He wasn’t sure whether he was ready to believe in magic, he wasn’t even sure what magic was but he knew that Yoongi will guide him through it, no matter what. 

He watched the older boy’s body relax in a way he’s never seen before, his shoulders dropped to a comfortable level, the tension in his muscles disappeared and his eyes seemed to shine as though he was under a ring light. He watched Yoongi meditate and admired the faded blue hair, the cuff earing adorning his ear and the chain that was attached to his ear lobe, his pretty pink lips which moved softly with the wind. Jimin listened to Yoongi speak softly, quietly, he opened his eyes and his gaze lingered on the pond in front of them as he cast a weird spell that Jimin couldn’t understand. The younger boy followed Yoongi’s hand which was lifted lazily in front of him. 

Slowly but surely, from the surface of the water, Yoongi began pulling out thick, heavy bubbles full of water, each bubble of a different size, all of them flowing softly above their water bed and the fish inside each bubble gurgled once again. Jimin’s entire body froze as he was transfixed in the moment, his jaw dropped as he watched Yoongi’s hand dictate the beautiful dance that gave Jimin the impression of rain falling in slow motion like a famous maestro without a wand. The man began casting another spell, completely engrossed in his work and Jimin watched as a gust of wind picked up each bubble and carried it further and further up in the air. Jimin craned his neck to follow the fish then Yoongi’s hand which made a swift downward motion, effectively bringing the bubbles back down and leaving them hanging just above the surface of the pond. 

Exhaling loudly, Jimin felt a weird thrum of electricity spark in his veins, he shivered as Yoongi turned to look at him. Jimin tripped over himself as he was caught in Yoongi’s eyes, he felt Yoongi’s power reach his heart and he whimpered, fully overwhelmed.


	10. Icons of Self-Indulgence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘The things that nobody ever talks about are the things that usually end up meaning the most. We grow up in a world that’s split in two down the middle and wrapped up in a cloak of cheerful disagreement. Our world leaders smile and shake hands while holding weapons behind their backs and out of sheer fear, people adopt that mentality too, making everyday life and living in harmony impossible. That’s just human nature, to be fearful and agitated, to want to protect ourselves and what’s ours. Politicians know that and employers know that, we know that yet we apply that same mentality to our lives and then we complain that we’re unfulfilled.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is from the song Everybody's Fool by Evanescence.

‘The things that nobody ever talks about are the things that usually end up meaning the most. We grow up in a world that’s split in two down the middle and wrapped up in a cloak of cheerful disagreement. Our world leaders smile and shake hands while holding weapons behind their backs and out of sheer fear, people adopt that mentality too, making everyday life and living in harmony impossible. That’s just human nature, to be fearful and agitated, to want to protect ourselves and what’s ours. Politicians know that and employers know that, we know that yet we apply that same mentality to our lives and then we complain that we’re unfulfilled.’

Jimin laid down next to Yoongi with his arms resting on his stomach. He stretched lazily and turned to face his hyung whose eyes were closed. Jimin couldn’t help but admire the way Yoongi’s long eyelashes ghosted his cheeks or the way the silent breeze tussled his hair, mixing it with the grass. He watched his teenage crush and the man he came to depend on for peace of mind and he realized that Yoongi was the antithesis of human nature but that he was nature himself. Pools of energy laid beneath Yoongi’s skin and while Jimin was a decent swimmer, he knew he’d drown in Yoongi’s power. 

They haven’t spoken a single word since Yoongi pulled the water bubbles out of the pond, instead they just laid next to each other in silence, letting the quiet morning and the constant thrum of energy speak for them. Jimin didn’t exactly understand what happened, memories from the evening before got muddled up with memories from this morning, making Jimin’s head throb and his chest tighten up. He rubbed away the tension in his chest before he took Yoongi’s hand in his own for a bit of normality and peace. Yoongi’s fingers intertwined with his and Jimin blushed, thinking how weird it was that Yoongi made him all meek and coy when he had no problem taking the lead with other guys.  
From the moment Jimin stepped inside his cottage a couple of weeks back, Yoongi watched Jimin’s aura switch between the colours of the rainbow; red for anger and love, orange for enjoyment and fun, yellow for clarity and green for safety and ambition. Jimin was unique and different, Jimin was raw in ways he hasn’t seen before except in nature. 

The older man opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Jimin whose eyes, although dazed, stared right into his soul. Slowly, he reached over and smoothed the tension in Jimin’s jaw before pulling his face closer - he paused when their faces were inches away, asking for permission and watching Jimin’s face heat up. Jimin bit his lips before nodding and closed the gap between them. The younger’s eyes fluttered closed as he allowed himself to get lost in the feeling of Yoongi’s lips sliding languidly against his own, kissing his bottom lip gently before swiping his tongue against it. Jimin’s hand came up to caress Yoongi’s cheek as Yoongi’s hand knotted in Jimin’s hair, pulling just enough to make Jimin shiver. He let Yoongi control the kiss as the older man licked into his mouth, making Jimin whine softly, already overwhelmed from just a simple kiss. Yoongi smiled into the kiss as Jimin got excited, following Yoongi’s mouth as he pulled Jimin on top of him. 

As Yoongi’s hands smoothed over his lower back, Jimin’s mind worked fast to process what was happening. He just kissed his teenage crush again after Yoongi pulled water out of a pond in the middle of the forest, with his magic. Jimin chewed on his lips as he held himself up above Yoongi who was doting on the younger. 

“How the fuck was that possible?” Jimin whispered and Yoongi had to hold back from laughing, he didn’t want Jimin to feel like he was making fun of him. 

“The kiss, or…?” Yoongi asked, his voice mellow against the sounds of nature. 

“I’m pretty sure I know how the kiss happened,” Jimin shook his head amusedly before leaning down to peck Yoongi’s lips again, leaving his hyung breathless. 

“How about I explain how I did the water trick and we can go from there?”

“Yeah, that would be good,” Jimin said as he nuzzled his face in the crook of Yoongi’s neck. 

“Every witch has a speciality,” Yoongi muttered while petting Jimin’s hair, the younger listening intently. “Some only have one whereas others have two or three. My mother’s  
was earth and astrology, my grandmother’s was air and fire, my great grandmother’s was water and earth and I’m still finding mine although I’m pretty sure I have a knack for water and earth and I’m interested in astrology. That being said, I’m still learning to control my powers because my powers come from nature and Mother Nature is so unpredictable and powerful.”

“How can you control nature?” Jimin asked, not quite sure he was understanding. 

“I don’t control nature, um, how do I even explain this? I don’t control nature, I control how much energy I get from the nature surrounding me.”

“Does that mean you can’t use your powers when you’re not around nature?” Jimin’s voice was soft and calm. Yoongi smiled. 

“There’s always nature, no matter where you are,” breathing in, he pulled Jimin in for another kiss. 

They spent the morning cuddled up by the pond, talking about Yoongi’s magic, books and their childhood. Jimin listened to Yoongi’s voice and the way it carried some sort of electricity, the way his skin felt soft under his fingers and he couldn’t help but be thankful for the way things were progressing. 

“Thank you,” Jimin muttered as they made their way back to Yoongi’s cottage. 

“What for?” Yoongi asked as he let Jimin into his house. 

“Telling me all of this,” Jimin muttered as Moony wrapped himself around Jimin’s legs. “I swear Grey is never this loving.” 

“That’s because Moony’s a familiar,” Yoongi said casually, not noticing how Jimin eyed his cat. Moony looked up at him with mischief in his eyes before darting away, leaving Jimin confused. 

“Say what?” Jimin asked incredulously as Yoongi sat down on one of the couches. 

“Yeah, he’s a familiar,” the blue-haired man laughed at Jimin’s shocked and slightly scandalized expression. “My mum found him and passed him onto me before she died.” 

“So, like, does he speak to you?” Jimin asked, his voice high pitched after remembering that he changed his clothes in front of Moony. 

“Sometimes,” Yoongi smirked before pulling Jimin to sit down next to him. “When he wants to.” 

“Fucking hell, Yoongi, that’s creepy,” Jimin muttered and Yoongi laughed, making Jimin’s insides melt into a puddle of goo. 

“He’s really sweet, I promise,” Yoongi said as Jimin chuckled darkly. 

“That helps,” the younger muttered as Yoongi lifted his arm and Jimin cuddled into his side. He looked wearily at Moony who was staring at him from across the living room.  
“Still creepy though.” 

Yoongi shook his head amusedly as he ran his fingers down Jimin’s spine, making Jimin shiver and nuzzle his face in his chest. He wasn’t sure whether telling Jimin was a good idea or how that was going to change his life, but he knew he could trust the younger man with the information, even though he wasn’t sure why he trusted Jimin with his magic. Yoongi leaned over carefully to the bookcase made out of crates and picked up a small teacup with a budding primrose in it which he balanced on his knee in front of Jimin. 

Chewing on his bottom lip, he closed his eyes, reached gently forward and willed his mind to focus on the energy surrounding the flower, the soil and the cool feeling that covered his palm. Breathing in and out, he began reciting one of his mother’s favourite spells as Jimin stilled completely by his side. The younger’s eyes grew as he watched the yellow primrose grow steadily under Yoongi’s hand and he couldn’t help but remember that primroses meant youth. 

Suddenly, Jimin’s phone beeped in his bag, breaking Yoongi’s concentration and causing the flower to shrink back to its original size. Swearing under his breath, Jimin pulled his bag on his lap and began looking for his phone. He scrolled through countless messages from his two friends and a couple of missed calls but before he could reply to any of them, Jungkook’s caller ID showed up on his screen. 

“For fuck’s sake, Jimin, do you ever answer your phone?” Jungkook huffed angrily and Jimin winced, not used to Jungkook being angry at him. 

“Yeah, when I have time,” he muttered under Yoongi’s watchful eyes. “What’s up?” 

“We need to talk,” Taehyung interjected swiftly, his tone serious and low. “Now.”

“What about?” Jimin asked only to be met with sighs. 

“It’s a bit difficult to explain over the phone, lover boy,” said Taehyung and Jimin rolled his eyes when Yoongi grinned. 

“I -” 

“Tell Yoongi to come along if you want to, just meet us at The Atlas,” Taehyung answered before ending the call, leaving Jimin stunned and a bit irritated. 

Yoongi watched Jimin grow worried as he read through all the messages he got from his friends, each one shorter than the other. The younger boy looked at Yoongi who smiled reassuringly and soon they began getting ready and making their way towards the edge of the forest and into town. The walk through the forest wasn’t as intense as before once Yoongi explained that the forest was actually alive. 

“Not alive like you and me,” Yoongi muttered as he took Jimin’s hand in his and pulled the younger closer to his body. “Just alive.”

The contrast between the forest and the small town was stark and Jimin struggled to adjust his senses to match the fast-paced rhythm of society. People walked fast and cars were loud compared to the lovely sound of running water and birds chirping peacefully. Jimin and Yoongi walked into the town square, hand in hand and ignored all the people eyeing them curiously. 

“Did your friends say anything about what they wanted to talk about? Should I even be here?” Yoongi asked as they approached The Atlas with its big neon sign and canopy of flowers hanging above the door. Jimin breathed in the strong coffee scent as Yoongi opened the door for them. 

“Nope, I should have expected that, though, they’re very dramatic,” he muttered as they walked inside the cafe and began scanning the room for his friends. Smiling, he waved at Minho who was behind the bar next to Sunny, a senior in high school who worked there on the weekends. “They’re not here so they must be downstairs.”

“Downstairs? Why downstairs?” Yoongi asked, his voice light as Jimin dragged him down the stairs into the basement only to be met by a cacophony of neon colours and mismatched furniture. Jimin felt weird being in the basement of The Atlas but nonetheless, he approached Taehyung and Jungkook at one of the booths in the corner. The room was empty except for them since nobody wanted to spend time in a room without windows during such a nice, spring day. 

“Ah, finally,” Taehyung smiled as Jungkook rolled his eyes. The two were sat next to each other and Jimin eyed Jungkook’s iced latte. Jungkook never drank iced coffee. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Yoongi,” Jungkook said truthfully as Jimin and Yoongi took their seats across from them. 

“Me too, although I’m not entirely sure why I’m here,” Yoongi responded, his voice nice enough not to give away how uncomfortable he was being back in town, among people that never liked him and never will. 

“That makes two of us,” Jimin said and Taehyung tsked. “What exactly couldn’t you talk about over the phone?”

“Can we trust you?” Taehyung asked Yoongi who was slightly taken aback by Tae’s bluntness. 

“Tae,” Jimin began his warning before Yoongi interjected. 

“You can,” his voice was soft yet steady and Taehyung gave him another hard stare before pushing a yellow envelope towards Jimin who picked it up with shaky fingers. He didn’t know why Tae and Jungkook needed him so desperately nor did he understand where the sudden aggression towards Yoongi came from but as he pulled out a stack of papers realization washed over him. Yoongi watched Jimin’s face morph into one of discomfort and his aura immediately turned a dark shade of red. 

“Are you sure?” Jimin asked before passing the papers to Yoongi who began reading. “Where did you get these from?”

“I found them on my father’s desk and made copies,” Taehyung muttered as Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, not sure what to do with the information. 

“So we know for a fact your parents are lying to everyone,” Jungkook said before taking a sip of his coffee.  
“I wouldn’t -” Taehyung began speaking before Jimin interrupted him.  
“I know it sucks, Tae, but let’s be realistic here,” Taehyung breathed in and closed his eyes as the acid from his stomach climbed up his oesophagus, he was feeling sick. “Wouldn’t it be easier to tell the truth?”  
“Not if they don’t know what the truth is,” Yoongi muttered as he poured over the new information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for reading! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment since they make me really happy <3


	11. Is it Me? (or just a dream that never dies)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Standing in front of his parent’s apartment in Seoul felt surreal - the weather was nice, sunny, and the sunshine hitting the brick building made Jimin’s eyes water slightly. He looked to the sides, left and right, and realized that nothing has changed. His parents still lived on the same main street with the same shops and vendors where Jimin used to play childhood games with his only friend. Jimin couldn’t believe how easy it was to walk up the steps towards the heavy doors, push them open and fall into all of his repressed memories. If he had none he wouldn’t be sad, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title song is by the Blossoms - There's a Reason Why and the dream sequence at the end is in italics.

Jimin couldn’t stop thinking for the rest of the day. His mind was working fast to understand everything that happened in the past couple of days; the murders, the witch crush/boyfriend/thing, the weird letter and now the autopsy reports of all the ‘animal attack’ victims. Jimin felt sick to his stomach as he helped his aunt cook dinner and bathe his grandmother who was especially forgetful tonight. 

Thinking back to The Atlas, he felt his chest tighten up and he rubbed away the discomfort. He couldn’t believe that Taehyung actually went through his father’s office after the last time they got caught. Jimin shivered at the memory, trying to push it to the back of his mind. He sat down at his desk and powered up his laptop. As he waited, he spun around in his chair, taking in his room and comparing it to Yoongi’s and Taehyung’s and even Jungkook’s even though Jungkook’s bedroom was always a mess.  
Jimin knew that he was easy to influence and he knew that he fed off people’s energy but he couldn’t believe how easy Yoongi integrated himself into Jimin’s life and how easy it was for Jimin to let him in. It has always been Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung and now Jimin felt overwhelmed and confused. Everything was working just fine and then he crashed into Yoongi’s life and everything began spinning out of control. He felt like he got on an innocent looking merry-go-round which picked up the pace and now he couldn’t get off. Pictures of Jungkook and his obsession with Lisa sprung to mind and suddenly Jimin understood why Jungkook was holding onto Lisa the way he was. Jimin wasn’t sure he wanted to let go of Yoongi either, no matter how powerless he felt. 

Sighing, Jimin spun back to face his laptop and began researching animal attacks. Images of torn bodies inundated his vision as he scrolled through the ‘images’ tab on Google and after seeing the photos attached to the autopsy reports, he knew for a fact that those weren’t animal attacks but the more research he did the more nervous he got.  
Jimin chewed on his lip before taking a sip of his coffee and started researching witches and witchcraft only to come up with nothing of importance - if the information he was gathering was in physical form, he could file it in two categories: caricatures of witches and witchcraft and research done by weird people. Neither of those could help Jimin understand how he missed such an enormous puzzle piece. How did he go about his life for nearly two decades without knowing that witches were in fact real? 

Feeling overwhelmed by the nothingness he found, he got up from his desk and went downstairs to dump the rest of his coffee in the sink. As he sat down on one of the couches in the living room, he felt weirdly hollow inside, almost like everything he knew before this weekend was no longer real and he was floating in space without aim. Tiredly, he pulled out his phone and checked Facebook messenger again. 

PARK JIMIN: So… what exactly are we? (19:38)  
MIN YOONGI: (read - 20:03)

Jimin felt stupid as he checked the chat over and over. He didn’t want to come across as desperate or too invested, but after the truth bomb that was dropped on him, he felt like he deserved some sort of clarity. It wasn’t like Yoongi was purposely trying to confuse him or annoy him, Jimin knew his hyung had nothing but good intentions and he knew that he was probably just overthinking things again, as he does, but he didn’t like the feeling of having all this information and not knowing what to do with it. But the more he checked his phone for an answer, the more childish he felt. He couldn’t expect Yoongi to feel the same way about him after a couple of weeks of getting to know him even though his hyung seemed to reciprocate some of his feelings and he definitely trusted Jimin with important information.  
Cursing under his breath, Jimin pocketed his phone and made his way upstairs to take a shower. As he climbed up the stairs he felt Grey running quickly alongside him before he remembered Moony and felt his heart drop into his stomach. He looked over with suspicion at his own cat as she rubbed her back against his legs and locked her outside of the bathroom door just to be sure. 

Feeling exhausted, he leaned back against the wall in the shower and let the water flow freely against his side and feeling each drop of water hit his skin like a bullet. He felt bad not knowing if he was allowed to tell his friends about Yoongi being a witch since he’s never had to hide anything from them. He could already see the mistrust and disappointment growing between the three of them if they were to find out by accident. He didn’t want to lose his friends at the expense of a guy but he also didn’t want to lose the guy due to distrust. 

“Why must everything be so complicated?” Jimin whined quietly to himself as he shampooed his hair rigorously before rinsing out the suds and getting out of the shower. His gut twisted with every move as more things popped into his mind, questions and negated answers swarm through his head and he felt sick knowing that Yoongi saw his message but never replied. 

He shivered as he walked out of the bathroom and towards his phone which was pinging silently on his desk. 

MIN YOONGI: I’m outside your house. 

Swallowing loudly, Jimin peeked outside the window and felt his face flush after seeing Yoongi leaning against a car, waiting for him at eleven at night. Grinning, he put on a pair of jeans and a sweater and made his way downstairs with Grey following his every step. Jimin couldn’t remember the last time someone made his heavy thoughts disappear just by being near him. He closed the door behind him and watched Yoongi approach him as he realized that this was nothing like Jungkook and Lisa. Yoongi reached him in record time and he shivered under his hyung’s heated stare. 

“Jimin,” Yoongi began speaking softly when he finally reached Jimin’s front steps but Jimin had other plans as he threw himself in Yoongi’s arms, throwing caution to the wind. Yoongi wrapped his arms around Jimin and pulled him flush against his chest before burrowing his face in Jimin’s shoulder. 

“Worst time to leave me on read, hyung,” Jimin’s voice was muffled as he bunched up Yoongi’s sweater in his fists.  
Yoongi sighed and rubbed Jimin’s back. “I’m sorry, Minnie.” 

Jimin looked up to see Hoseok sneak glances at them from the car before pulling back to look at Yoongi who seemed tired. Jimin knew that his hyung didn’t like spending too much time in town and he suddenly felt guilty for asking Yoongi to join him at The Atlas. 

“We can be whatever you want, Minnie,” Yoongi spoke softly as he tucked a wet strand of hair behind Jimin’s ear. “As long as I get to have you in my life.”  
Jimin’s cheeks heated up and he burrowed his face into his hyung’s chest. “You should ask me to be your boyfriend, hyung.” 

“Yeah? Why should I be the one asking?” Yoongi chuckled and Jimin rolled his eyes. 

“Because I’ve never asked anyone to be my boyfriend before,” Jimin muttered, his lips forming a pout and Yoongi smiled before leaning down to peck the pout away. 

“Would you like to be my boyfriend?” He asked softly against Jimin’s lips and the younger smiled. 

“I’d love to,” Jimin muttered before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on Yoongi’s lips. The proximity between them made Jimin’s cheeks heat up as Yoongi chased his lips and caught them with his own. Jimin’s lips quivered open as Yoongi nibbled on his lower lip before swiping his tongue across the bite and licking into Jimin’s mouth. Jimin’s fingers carded through Yoongi’s blue hair as he relaxed into the kiss, letting Yoongi take control and guide them through the heat of the moment. Yoongi sighed contently as Jimin pressed himself harder against his chest, excited to be kissing his teenage crush and feeling right at home in Yoongi’s arms. 

“I’d invite you in but I think Hoseok hyung is getting antsy,” Jimin chuckled breathlessly after they pulled back for air. Smiling, Yoongi smoothed over Jimin’s lower back before diving in for another kiss. 

“Next time,” he muttered before taking a step back. “I’ll text you.” 

“You better,” Jimin grinned as he leaned back against the door frame and watched his boyfriend walk towards the car and drive away. 

 

\--------------------

 

_Standing in front of his parent’s apartment in Seoul felt surreal - the weather was nice, sunny, and the sunshine hitting the brick building made Jimin’s eyes water slightly. He looked to the sides, left and right, and realized that nothing has changed. His parents still lived on the same main street with the same shops and vendors where Jimin used to play childhood games with his only friend. Jimin couldn’t believe how easy it was to walk up the steps towards the heavy doors, push them open and fall into all of his repressed memories. If he had none he wouldn’t be sad, right?_

_Swallowing loudly, Jimin began making his way up the stairs, one by one until he reached the fifth floor where his old apartment stood proudly. Unchanged. Even the wet umbrella by the door looked the same. ‘How odd,’ thought Jimin as he lifted his hand, as if in slow motion, and knocked on the door twice. Familiar footsteps and claws scratching the hardwood floors followed and soon the door was swung wide open. His father stood tall in front of him - a man of forty-six years looking just like he did at thirty-six when he dropped Jimin off at his grandmother’s house. His father’s eyes welled up with tears as his mother held the family dog by the collar - she too seemed to be holding back her tears._

_“Oh, Jimin,” his father grumbled in his low voice before pulling Jimin into a tight hug. Jimin melted into his father’s arms, his entire body encompassed by his father’s as he hugged him back, although weakly._

_“We missed you, baby,” Jimin’s mother spoke softly as tears glistened on her cheeks. Jimin pulled her into a warm hug, enjoying the way she wrapped her skinny arms around him to pull him closer._

_Walking inside the house, he felt a familiar pang in his chest as he looked around under his parent’s watchful eyes. Nothing changed in nearly ten years. The small foyer was still dimly lit by candles, the furry plum rug and the body length mirror full of sticky notes were still there. Jimin smiled as he took his shoes off before the family dog jumped excitedly on him._

_“Bolt!” Jimin yelped happily as he ran his hands over the white and black fur, enjoying the random licks to his face and hands and ignoring the fact that Bolt died three years ago._

_“I missed you too,” Jimin said with his chest full of a feeling he couldn’t understand as his parents smiled weakly at him. The lighting in the house was odd and opaque as they all walked into the living room with Bolt quickly on their tail. The living room seemed smaller now that he was older but the grey couch looked just as comfortable as it did ten years ago. Jimin smiled as he sat down, reminiscing about play fights with his brothers in front of their old, crappy TV and falling asleep to the sound of the rain in the red love seat by the window._

_“Your dad made your favourite food, Minnie,” his mother cooed as she sat down next to him with one arm around his middle. Jimin leaned calmly into her, basking in the heat of the afternoon and the cosy atmosphere as Bolt laid down by his legs._

_“Just how you like it, bug,” his dad clapped his hands together to show his excitement and sat down on the glass coffee table in front of him._

_“You remembered?” Jimin asked meekly only for his mum to giggle in his ear._

_“Of course we did! Your brother is excited to see you,” she said, her voice lively and entertaining, way too loud for Jimin’s ears. The sound of his mother’s voice resonated in his head and quickly grew into an elongated buzz as his father began speaking to him. Jimin struggled to understand what he was saying as his words were muted by the racket in his head. Thinking back to Edgar Allen Poe, Jimin tapped his left foot against the hardwood floor twice before the ringing in his ears stopped and a booming knock on the door snapped everyone out of their daze._

_Jimin’s mother squealed with glee as she got up and made her way to the door. Jimin watched the sun go down with every step his mother took towards the door and his stomach churned as the room got darker and darker. His father squeezed his knee and Jimin looked up at him to see his grin. Jimin shivered, everything was suddenly moving too fast as his mother opened the door and let his older brother, his hyung, into the house._

_“Jiminnie!” His hyung hollered as he made his way into the living room where Jimin felt stuck to the couch. Jimin swallowed the bile rising in his throat as he watched the blood drip from his brother’s clothes onto the hardwood floor._

_“Jihyun hyung,” Jimin muttered, too shocked to share his brother’s enthusiasm._

_“See, your mother and I told you he’d be happy to help you,” Jimin’s father bellowed._

_“Help him?” Jimin asked incredulously as he looked between his mother and his father, both of whom were grinning widely to each other and to their eldest son. “Help him with what?”_

_“Well, dear,” his mother’s voice was honeyed yet stern, as it always was when Jimin didn’t react accordingly to her ideals of a good son. “Your brother got into a fight and well…”_

_“It didn’t turn out as planned,” his father finished the sentence, his voice dulcet in a way that made Jimin’s skin crawl._

_“How am I supposed to help?” Jimin whimpered as everyone got closer to him, the sound of blood dripping ringing in his ears as night settled outside._

_“Well, use your magic, silly!” his parents laughed as his brother nudged him. Jimin felt his insides stir._

_“B-but I don’t,” Jimin began stammering before his mother interrupted him coldly._

_“But you will.” ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it! If you did, please let me know by leaving a comment/kudos since they make me really happy ^_^


	12. She Don’t do Major Credit Cards (I doubt she does receipts)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ah, Jimin, just the man I wanted to see,” a loud voice boomed over all the other loud voices, drawing attention to itself. In walked Jung Hoseok with his long dancer legs wrapped in denim and his broad shoulders wrapped in leather and his wild, brown hair wrapped in a red bandana. Jimin’s chest heaved as he waved shyly. He knew that dating Yoongi meant being close to his friends, he just wasn’t sure if he could deal with someone as energetic as Hoseok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title song is by Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down.

Jimin didn’t enjoy theorizing or overthinking but he did it anyway. It was safer to kill time by drowning in his own thoughts than it was to lose his mind at a bar or under a stranger’s body. So theorize he did all day as he stumbled through the door of The Wallflower and swore when he felt the strong, overwhelming scents hit his nose. Jimin wasn’t sure if he liked gardening and being a florist because he spent the first ten years of his life in a concrete bubble or because he was forced to enjoy it by being thrown into a green phantasm. The countryside was a bigger illusion than the city could ever be. It draws you in with the sweet promise of peace and calm and locks you down with responsibilities. It’s the stark contrast between a nine to five and the round-the-clock cage of parenting whereas the city gives you room to breathe, even if the air is polluted.

As he turned the light on and dropped his bag behind the counter, Jimin began stretching his entire body and enjoying all the different cracks. Nobody ever disturbed his peace this early in the morning so opening up the shop was a well-rehearsed dance - autonomous and easy. His feet floated above the wooden floor as he spun around and glided from one pot to another, changing the water and trimming the stems. His mind was focused as he hummed a soft song, thinking about the implications of pollution on the quality of living and ultimately surviving in the city and how that could potentially affect the countryside in the event of an apocalypse - be it industrial or the fall of capitalism. 

Jimin didn’t like theorizing but he knew that it was better than giving into consciously thinking about his solitude. Technically not a lot of people were awake at six in the morning, not people he wanted to spend his time with anyway, but the constant nightmares plaguing him were making it harder and harder to keep a level head. Jimin sighed as he made sure everything was in its place before he went over to the door and turned the ‘open’ sign around. 

As customers began filing in, he busied himself by telling them about the flowers, explaining the meaning behind each one of them and suggesting colours that could match their aesthetics and needs. One lady loved his colour theory so much that she stuck around to listen to him help other customers which Jimin would have felt flattered by if the lady wasn’t so aggressive about her interest. Jimin was suddenly not sure if the countryside could survive a massive influx of city dwellers, but he was sure that it would make for a pretty epic sight. 

Jimin couldn’t help but think about the ramification of capitalism as he worked a pink pair of scissors across the blue ribbon holding a pretty wedding bouquet of lilacs, white roses and baby’s breath. He worked the issue in his mind, turning it on its head and tail as bride-to-be waited patiently in front of him, blocking the light. She was damning in an unconventional way - long black hair and almond eyes, small red lips and a small face - there was nothing unconventional about her appearance. It was her presence that made Jimin’s fingers shake a little as electricity coursed through the air. The woman was shorter than him, smaller than him but in the golden light shining through the windows and illuminating her petite frame, Jimin couldn’t help but cower under her steeled yet casual gaze - she was bigger than him. He sucked in a breath and fussed over the bouquet some more before looking up. 

“There you go,” Jimin said softly, his voice unintentionally meek and she grinned. _Fuck, she grinned _. Jimin’s breath hitched as she swiped her credit card across the EDC machine screen and reached for the flowers.__

__“Thank you, Jimin-ssi,” Jimin nodded dumbly as the woman turned on her heels and walked out. Jimin’s attention snapped as she stepped out of the shop and the soft light that encompassed the room became instantly brighter. He imagined that’s what it would feel like to drive out of the city and into the countryside._ _

__Jimin didn’t like to theorize much, especially after meeting peculiar people like bride-to-be, so he didn’t. Instead, he let himself question his motives and his future. His mind switched between his future with his grandmother, his two best friends and Yoongi to a future with his grandmother, one of his best friends and Yoongi - Jungkook’s thirst for the city was nothing new to Jimin and Taehyung and although they made peace with the possibility of being the three brothers they’ve always been from a distance, Jimin couldn’t help but remember that he didn’t believe in long distance relationships._ _

__“Ah, Jimin, just the man I wanted to see,” a loud voice boomed over all the other loud voices, drawing attention to itself. In walked Jung Hoseok with his long dancer legs wrapped in denim and his broad shoulders wrapped in leather and his wild, brown hair wrapped in a red bandana. Jimin’s chest heaved as he waved shyly. He knew that dating Yoongi meant being close to his friends, he just wasn’t sure if he could deal with someone as energetic as Hoseok._ _

__“Hello to you too,” Jimin’s voice carried some of the meekness from before as Jung Dawon, Hoseok’s sister nodded casually at him. “Can I help you?”_ _

__“Ever the professional,” Dawon grinned and Jimin ducked his head._ _

__“Oh, he’s professional here -” Hoseok smirked and Jimin knew a ‘ho, ho, ho’ kind of laugh would follow. “Yes, Jimin, you can help.”_ _

__“It’s our parents’ anniversary and we want to get them something,” Dawon spoke casually, her hands swinging in her cardigan pockets. “Something that says thank you for allowing two Seoul bums to move back in when we all know you’ll miss copulating on every piece of furniture.”_ _

__“Something like that,” Hoseok laughed and Jimin shook his head amusedly. The two were a force to be reckoned with but the more time Jimin spent with them the more electric he felt. It was like he was constantly plugged in._ _

__“I’ve got just the thing for you,” Jimin said confidently as he moved around his desk and made his way around the rows and rows of flowers. He began to expertly pick the flowers he wanted, only the best to impress his lover’s best friend, as Hoseok and Dawon spoke quietly by the checkout/workstation._ _

__“What are those?” Dawon asked curiously as Jimin’s hands moved fast to arrange the flowers in a way that looked expensive yet subdued, kind of how he imagined the Jung siblings’ parents to be._ _

__“Peonies and camellias,” the names of the flowers rolled easily of Jimin’s tongue and he basked in the warm feeling of being admired._ _

__“And what do they represent?” Hoseok asked, probably to keep up with his sister._ _

__“White camellias mean adoration and affection,” Jimin said as he picked up pink ribbon and wrapped it around the brown paper and white lace. “Pink peonies mean bashfulness and a happy, long-lasting marriage.”_ _

__“Fucking hell, Park, no wonder why Yoongi’s so whipped,” Hoseok spoke clearly, not trying to hide the fact that he was impressed by Jimin’s expertise in flowers and even though normally Jimin wouldn’t think that his knowledge of flowers was something to boast about, the fact that it was Yoongi’s friend complimenting him made Jimin blush enough to match with the peonies._ _

__“By the look of him, I don’t think Yoongi’s the only one that’s whipped,” Dawon teased as Hoseok paid for the bouquet. “Are you coming to dinner this Saturday?”_ _

__“Yeah,” Jimin said, trying to sound confident but failing miserably. “Who else is coming?”_ _

__“Ah, only all of our friends,” Hoseok said flippantly, knowing fully well that Jimin was nervous. “Relax, Jimin, they’re going to love you.”_ _

__The Jung siblings left the shop the same way they came in, loud and in charge and the more Jimin thought about it, he realized that the apocalypse he kept thinking about was already unravelling as more and more city dwellers infiltrated the countryside._ _

__The walk across the street was easy, just as well-rehearsed as opening up The Wallflower, only charged with the excitement of meeting up with Taehyung. Jimin looked both ways before jogging across the street and pushing open the door to The Atlas. The strong scent of coffee hit his nose instantly, erasing the memory of flowers and brides-to-be and easily excitable, soon-to-be friends. Taehyung was bussing tables when Jimin sat down in his usual spot by the bar and began kicking his legs back and forth. He ran the pads of his fingers over the chipped, black wood that made the bar and over scratched-in names encased in hearts as well as the few penises engraved into the wood._ _

__The stool to his right scratched the floor as Jungkook sat down quietly next to him. The younger was dressed nicely in a pair of black jeans, a white tucked in shirt and one of Taehyung’s expensive blazers. He also carried a heavy, black binder made out of leather - possibly also Taehyung’s. Jungkook had been to five interviews in the past week, and they all promised to call him back. The younger man was standing tall in the face of disappointment, even though it was threatening to eat him alive._ _

__“Top of the morning to you!” Jimin said as he watched Jungkook get settled._ _

__“It’s nearly afternoon,” Jungkook’s voice was quiet, beaten down and slightly raspy._ _

__“Bite me,” Jimin pouted as Taehyung slid behind the bar and reached them just in time to witness the exchange._ _

__“Who’s biting who?” Tae asked as he began preparing their normal order - a soy latte for Jungkook and an almond long macchiato for Jimin who liked his coffee stronger._ _

__“Life’s biting me in the ass,” Jungkook said bitterly as Jimin watched him ruffle his brown hair, the heavy rings adorning his long, slender fingers catching in the light and blinding Jimin temporarily._ _

__“I don’t see the problem with that,” Jimin shrugged as he took a big gulp of his coffee._ _

__“Of course you don’t, you sex fiend,” Jungkook grimaced after tasting his own bitter coffee. He began dumping sugar into the white mug._ _

__“One, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of pain during sex,” Jimin’s voice was low, making Taehyung blush. “Two, that’s no longer coffee.”_ _

__“That’s no longer sex,” Jungkook scoffed and Jimin rolled his eyes._ _

__“You’re awfully vanilla,” Taehyung breathed out loudly through his nose._ _

__“So, nobody called back yet?” Taehyung asked as his two friends snapped their attention towards him._ _

__“Nah,” Jungkook’s voice was a long, lazy drawl as he stirred into his way-too-sweet coffee. “I think they’re intimidated by my good looks and dazzling personality.”_ _

__“Certainly not by your riveting sex life,” Jimin coughed into his coffee, earning a kick from the younger of the three._ _

__“You’ll get there, Jungkook,” Tae smiled comfortingly at Jungkook who smiled back. “So here’s the tea.”_ _

__“Don’t say that,” Jimin whined and Jungkook nodded his head._ _

__“Yeah, soon enough you’ll start using the word ‘sister’ unironically and we’ll have to take you out back and shoot you,” Jungkook and Jimin shivered as Taehyung snorted._ _

__“Fine, whatever,” he waved his hand dismissively. “I’ve been doing some research, reading over the autopsy reports and the articles we’ve put out since these attacks began.”_ _

__“And?” Jimin asked as he thumbed mindlessly over his phone’s screen, hoping it would light up with a text from Yoongi._ _

__“And there have been no missing person reports and nobody identified the victims,” Taehyung’s voice was low, quiet and secretive, prompting the other two to lean in over the bar to hear him._ _

__“The bodies were pretty mangled up, Tae, I doubt I’d recognize my own family in that state,” Jungkook said and Jimin nodded._ _

__“I know, which is why I looked to see if their DNA matched any database,” Tae replied easily as Jungkook nodded his head to show interest._ _

__“Did you find anything?” Jimin asked as he finished his coffee, his fingers still messing with his phone._ _

__“Yes I did, the first victim was a man in his forties from two towns over who died in a car accident, the second victim was a teenage girl from the same town as the first victim who died from an overdose and the third victim was a man who grew up here and died last month of a heart attack.”_ _

__Jimin stretched out his muscles as he worked hard to process the information._ _

__“So what you’re saying is that now we’re sure that none of them died in animal attacks,” Jungkook said pensively as he rubbed his chin and Tae nodded, biting his lips. Jimin watched the two carefully, analysing and overthinking about their habits, their ways of thinking through things and theorizing and realizing that they quite enjoyed this sort of exchange._ _

__“So the mayor and your parents lied, why?” Jimin asked as he noticed Taehyung’s jaw set._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for reading and make sure to leave kudos or a comment to let me know what you think about this chapter <3


	13. I Can’t Control My Emotions Lately

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Happiness has always been a complex concept, an abstract philosophy that sadness couldn’t possibly measure up to simply because sadness was so constant - an underlying pulse in one’s vein, the beat just after the heartbeat, the hollowness in one’s chest after trauma. Jimin studied the Benthams and the Lockes, he climbed Maslow’s pyramid of self-actualization until his arms ached from hanging on so tightly only to slide painfully down the side and hit rock bottom once again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song title by Pale Waves - Noises.

The concept of happiness as an end goal has always been something that Jimin carried in his back pocket. He could turn the issue on its head over and over again and never come to a good enough conclusion. It wasn’t like Jimin didn’t understand what it means to be happy. He was well aware of the feeling, the endorphins running under his skin, chasing a high to a full stop. Jimin knew when happiness was staring him in the face, he just couldn’t reach it very often. 

He let his mind dissect the idea as he watched Yoongi order for both of them. They were currently in a pretty restaurant in the centre of the town, near The Wallflower where the atmosphere was nice and cosy - dim overhead lights and warm candles floated through the air, casting a nice glow on the cream walls and the crisp, white tablecloths. The air was sweet from the roses sitting in crystal vases and Jimin couldn't help but admire how appropriately dressed his date was.   
Yoongi was dressed in tight-fitting black jeans and a white shirt and his shoes were so polished that Jimin could see his own reflection in them but the thing that made his boyfriend's outfit was the colourful, floral blazer that was now hanging off the back of his chair. His hair was now pitch black scorpion venom and slightly curly and his eyes were equally as black and deep while his lips were a faint red. Jimin, on the other hand, was dressed casually - black jeans and shirt topped off with a clean cut black blazer. 

“How was your day?” Yoongi asked casually before sipping on his water and Jimin couldn't help but smile a little. The conversation was light as they waited for their food - mostly about their day and how Moony destroyed yet another one of Yoongi's house slippers. Jimin was thankful for the way Yoongi eased into the conversation. The older man wasn't exactly comfortable in social situations and Jimin wasn't exactly used to wining and dining on a date so the easy atmosphere was well received by both parties. 

“Maybe Jungkook can apply to work for my father's company,” Yoongi’s voice was soft as they shared eye contact that lingered, making Jimin shiver slightly. 

“I didn't know your father owns a company,” Jimin said as their server approached them with their food. 

“Yeah, he has a construction company -” they thanked their server who bowed respectfully before leaving. “I'm sure he could find something for Jungkook to do.”   
Jimin nodded his head thoughtfully before eyeing the food and feeling his stomach rumble. Yoongi had ordered the honey glazed steak with a side of roasted sweet potatoes and a broccoli salad to complement the non-alcoholic red wine that came with their meal. 

Soon enough they tucked into their food as the conversation flowed freely from one topic to another. Yoongi was interested in Jimin's home life and the way he was brought up and although Jimin didn't enjoy talking about his parents, he didn't feel the usual weight on his chest as he opened up about years of neglect - casually, of course. 

“So they come to see you once a year?” Yoongi asked, his tone incredulous and a bit angry as he cut into his steak and piled potato pieces on his fork. 

“They used to,” Jimin said naturally after taking a sip of his mock wine. “My dad texts me from time to time and I talk to my brother often.”

“Doesn't that bother you?” 

“It does,” Jimin said easily as he worked on finishing his meal. “I used to say it doesn't because I wanted to be free of those emotions but then I realised I'm not the type of person who needs to move on to feel better.” 

“It sounds tiring, though,” Yoongi frowned as he finished his meal and Jimin nodded. 

“Well, it's not,” Jimin pondered under Yoongi’s watchful eyes. “I made peace with it but I'm no longer trying to erase that part of me. It helps me understand why I do some of the things I do.” 

“So you hang onto their abandonment to fuel your own growth?” Yoongi asked, feeling slightly impressed. 

“Yeah, you could say that,” Jimin snickered as he beckoned their server over to order dessert. Their server was young, probably in his early twenties, and sported an easy smile as he took their order and made his exit. 

“That's pretty badass,” Yoongi said with a lopsided grin on his face, making Jimin glow bright red. 

“I guess,” Jimin muttered and soon enough their dessert came. “You really never had tiramisu before?” 

“No -” Yoongi said before poking at his dessert. “I grew up with my dad who was always busy so we never went out and my mum lived in the forest.”

“No tiramisu in the forest?” Jimin asked and laughed when the older man shook his head sadly before perking up at the faint taste of rum on his tongue. 

The night was still young when they stepped out into the chilly end-of-May air. Jimin shivered in his blazer and blushed deeply when Yoongi wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling the younger man closer to his body. Jimin sighed contently against his boyfriend whose fingers traced his side lovingly. 

Slowly, they made their way to the central park which was not too far from the town square and relatively close to their old high school. 

The streets were mostly empty as the two walked closely together, their steps illuminated by the rusted street lights and the park was vacant when they reached the small entrance. Jimin's heart swelled up from all the lovely memories he had of this place - he couldn't help but give into the ghosts of his past as Yoongi guided him towards the small playground in the centre of the park which was conveniently encased in a multitude of trees. 

Happiness has always been a complex concept, an abstract philosophy that sadness couldn’t possibly measure up to simply because sadness was so constant - an underlying pulse in one’s vein, the beat just after the heartbeat, the hollowness in one’s chest after trauma. Jimin studied the Benthams and the Lockes, he climbed Maslow’s pyramid of self-actualization until his arms ached from hanging on so tightly only to slide painfully down the side and hit rock bottom once again. He didn’t really understand why he was so intrigued by the concept of happiness - Jungkook said it was because he could never truly reach a state of euphoria but Jimin was sure that he was full of shit. Euphoria doesn’t have to be an event of big proportions, it can simply be being pushed on a children’s swingset by one’s boyfriend or dancing together in the middle of the night to the sound of laughter. Euphoria was laying on the cold, hard ground with Yoongi, staring into each other’s eyes and talking in whispers as the older boy ran a thumb over Jimin’s cheekbone leaving shimmering stars in its wake before pulling him into a soft kiss. 

Jimin knew there was no point in deconstructing the concept of happiness because we all die anyway but as he snuggled up to Yoongi in the park, watching the stars and letting his lover soothe the goosebumps littering his arms, he understood why he does it. It wasn’t like Jimin was looking a horse gift in the mouth but the ever-looming presence of ‘what if’ was a heavy pressure that wouldn’t leave his chest, even as Yoongi attempted to rub it away. 

“What’s wrong?” Yoongi asked, his voice mellow and soft and Jimin flushed when the sound reached his heart and made him shiver. 

“Just thinking,” Jimin muttered simply before looking up at Yoongi whose eyes were trained on the stars. “About Tae and Kook.” 

“You want to tell them?” Yoongi asked, finally catching Jimin’s eyes and instantly melting his boyfriend’s insides into a puddle of goo. 

“How did you know that’s what I was thinking about?” Jimin pondered as he moved to lay on his tummy and holding himself up with his elbows. 

“Because I would want to tell my best friends - in fact, it didn’t take me long to show them,” Yoongi spoke softly as he turned on his side and rested his head in his hand while his other hand caressed Jimin’s chin and pulled him in for a short kiss. 

“How long?” Jimin whispered. 

“Three months, but that’s mostly because I had to learn some tricks before dropping such a huge thing on them,” Yoongi explained as he admired Jimin in all of his glory - starry cheeks and pink, plump lips kissed raw - Yoongi couldn’t keep his hands or his mouth off his boyfriend. 

Jimin didn’t expect Yoongi to say he could tell his friends. He was thankful that the older boy trusted him enough with such a huge secret and Jimin didn’t want to impose any more than necessary but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to tell his best friends. He grew up with Taehyung and Jungkook. He shared his house with them, his secrets and fears and his happiness and he couldn’t imagine a world without his best friends in it any more than he could imagine a life without Yoongi and the knowledge that magic exists - this was his underlying, ever-present sadness. His life would feel empty and he’d be damned if he ever felt empty again. 

“You can tell them if you trust them with my life,” Yoongi was quiet as he gave Jimin permission to divulge his secret and Jimin couldn’t help but stare quietly at his lover who looked like he was a part of the picture - the cold playset, the starry night. He bit his lip softly and looked at the sky. 

“Why?” Jimin asked, his voice a mere whisper against the cacophony of nature. 

“Because I trust you.” The simplicity in Yoongi’s words and voice made Jimin’s head turn towards him to see a serene expression and he suddenly couldn’t understand why they trusted each other the way they did, why he felt this intense pull whenever he was away from Yoongi and why he felt at home with someone so different and quirky when Jimin knew he was a creature of habit. 

“But why?” Jimin asked again, dumbly only for Yoongi to chuckle softly. 

“Because the forest trusts you,” Yoongi said and watched Jimin’s features churn in confusion. “You know that the forest is alive - not alive like us, just alive but it feels things just as deeply as we do. The forest raised me, Jimin, and the forest doesn’t welcome people it doesn’t trust. The fact that you even showed up at my cottage and that the forest allowed you to find it told me I could trust you.” 

“So… you didn’t kick my ass out of your home because the forest thinks I’m worthy of your trust?” Jimin’s voice was incredulous and Yoongi sighed, not entirely sure how to explain such a complex phenomenon, a phenomenon he didn’t fully understand either. 

“I didn’t kick your ass out because it was raining and you’re cute,” Jimin rolled his eyes with a smile. “Nature is complicated - it’s an intricate web of thoughts, feelings and instincts and it runs through all of us. My grandmother wrote poetry in her book of shadows and it was almost always about nature. She wrote about how the earth is our flesh, water is our tears, the air is our breath and fire is our passion. Witches before me knew that to trust was to trust nature because it knows us better than we know ourselves. 

“I didn’t worry too much when you broke into my house because the forest let you in, despite all the protective spells and charms I have on my territory and if the forest trusts you, it means you’re worthy.”

The walk home was quiet yet comfortable. Jimin revelled in the warmth of his boyfriend as they huddled closely together and when they reached Jimin’s house the younger wanted to pull Yoongi inside and never let him go. The older man noticed the way Jimin’s aura changed as he trapped the boy against his front door. Yoongi’s hands gripped Jimin’s waist tightly as one of his legs made its way between the younger boy’s legs, making him blush prettily. 

“I don’t want you to go,” Jimin breathed out against Yoongi’s lips when they pulled apart for air.

“I don’t want to go either,” Yoongi muttered before leaning back in and catching Jimin’s lips with his own as Jimin knotted his fingers in Yoongi’s black, curly hair and pulled slightly, making his boyfriend groan in his mouth. 

“Then don’t,” Jimin whispered, completely out of breath as Yoongi pulled back only to dip down to pepper kisses on Jimin’s throat where he sucked a small bruise into the soft skin. 

“I have to,” Yoongi spoke softly before leaning in for another kiss which Jimin easily accepted as his arms wrapped around Yoongi’s neck to pull him closer. “I promised Hobi and Dawon to help them set up their new studio.” 

“Bummer,” Jimin pouted as Yoongi caressed his jaw. “I’m going to tell them.” 

“When?” Yoongi asked quietly, not wanting to give away that he was a little anxious. It took him so long to convince his friends and even longer to get Jimin to come around, even though the younger boy was still full of questions. Yoongi wasn’t sure if he could handle being rejected for his heritage, especially by people who mean a lot to his lover. 

“Tonight,” Jimin spoke softly, searching Yoongi’s eyes for traces of anxiety or denial but if he had them Jimin couldn’t see. “Is that alright?” 

“I trust you,” Yoongi said finally before pulling Jimin in for another kiss. 

Walking into his house Jimin took his shoes off and picked Grey up before dashing up the stairs towards his bedroom. Once inside the safety of his room he pulled out his phone and texted a quick ‘S.O.S’ to the group chat - their own way of saying ‘come quickly, shit’s going down’. They never miss ‘S.O.S’ texts, no matter what so Jimin was sure Tae and Kook would show up at his door soon. He didn’t want to overthink his decision simply because he didn’t want to overthink his friendship with two of the most important people in his life. Two people he grew up with and shared his life with. Two people he was about to drop a truth-bomb on. Jimin felt sick as he dropped his phone on his bed and pulled out a massive box from under the bed. The box was old and tattered but decorated with stickers and washi tape.

His bedroom was cold since his grandmother couldn’t sleep if the house was too warm and it was only illuminated by a three wick candle on one of Jimin’s bedside tables. Jimin changed into a t-shirt Jungkook left at his house and a pair of black shorts before he sat down on his bed with a massive box of polaroids, the numb feeling in his chest growing into something ugly - insecurities and fear. Grey’s paws pattered around the bed as she sniffed Jimin’s date clothes, the light purring sound eased Jimin’s mind as he picked up one Polaroid photo after another - smiling faces and quirky places innundated Jimin’s senses. He could almost feel the memories swarming around his head like bees, stinging his chest and filling it with happiness and sadness. Two feelings that needed each other to survive. 

Suddenly, his bedroom door swung open to reveal his two best friends - tired and still in their pyjamas. Tae was wearing a pair of silk bottoms and shirt whereas Jungkook was wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt, his hair tousled and his eyes tired from sleep deprivation. Tae dropped his helmet and sighed. 

“I swear to God, Jimin if I find out that you called us here at one in the morning on a weekday night and there’s nothing burning I will pee on everything you love.”

“Oddly enough I agree,” Jungkook whined before dropping on Jimin’s bed and pulling Grey to his chest. “What is this about, Minnie?”

“Yeah, you look sick,” Tae said as he placed the back of his hand against Jimin’s forehead. 

“I took off my makeup,” Jimin’s attempt at humour worked as his two friends cackled. “No, I have something serious to tell you guys and I really hope this won’t change anything between us.”

“You’ve got a third nipple? Cause I heard some people do,” Tae asked before climbing into bed next to Jimin. 

“I wonder if a third nipple is just as sensitive as -” 

“Probably, but no, that’s not what I want to talk about,” Jimin muttered as he eyed his cat falling asleep on Jungkook’s chest. 

Jimin chewed on his lower lip under the watchful eyes of his friends. 

“You remember when I met Yoongi?” Jimin asked and the other two nodded, remembering the fact that Jimin didn’t tell them right away and that he waited a week before they found out on their own. “Well, I didn’t tell you how I met him. That morning my grandmother was being difficult and I had all those exams to worry about so I broke down. I needed to get away and just be gone for a while so I went into the forest.” 

“You went into the forest?” Jungkook asked curiously as Tae shook his head. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t going to go in too far, I just needed something to take the edge off, you know? So as I was walking I found this cottage - like, if you can imagine a children’s storybook, that’s what this cottage looks like.”

“I didn’t think there are people who live in the forest,” Tae muttered. 

“What does that have to do with how you met Yoongi?” 

“I’ll get there. So I broke into this cottage - don’t look at me like that - and it was like I walked into another dimension. There were books and empty coffee mugs everywhere and the fire in the fireplace was roaring. There were crystals lining the bookshelves and a massive cauldron in the kitchen with something that smelled like bubblegum boiling inside. Then Yoongi came in and I nearly lost my shit. He looked so intimidating and weird in this fairytale cottage and of course, I was scared because I was in the middle of the forest and -” 

“Hold the fuck up,” Taehyung interrupted him. “Are you saying you met Yoongi in a cottage in the forest? And you told me not to worry?”

“It’s weird, okay, I know but I kept in touch with him because of his personality and how he made me feel. It’s just, he’s different and I’m so sick of being stuck,” Jimin whispered the last part as his two best friends frowned. “Of course, I asked him about the cauldron and the crystals and herbs and he kept saying he’s a witch and I brushed it off cause that shit doesn’t exist, right? But it does, it fucking does.” 

“Okay, now I’m sure you have a fever,” Taehyung said as he leaned in to feel Jimin’s forehead again only for the blonde to smack his hand again. 

“Are you saying Yoongi’s a witch?” Jungkook asked incredulously. “When did you find out?”

“Don’t tell me you believe this nonsense,” Tae muttered, mortified by Jungkook’s curiosity. Jungkook shushed him and prompted Jimin to answer. 

“Last Saturday,” Jimin whispered, the heaviness in his chest threatening to eat him alive. 

“Prove it,” Jungkook’s voice was full of curious excitement and Jimin was sure Tae was on the verge of either exploding or crumbling to pieces. 

“You’re both crazy. There’s no such thing as magic and witches -” Tae began speaking fast, his words slurring together as he began gesticulating, clearly on the edge of a panic attack. Jimin touched his knee and he flinched. 

“Look, I didn’t believe it either -”

“Do you have proof or not?” Jungkook asked as he sat up in bed, Grey walked away from him grumpily. 

As he searched the bed for his phone, Jimin couldn’t help but feel his throat close up as he struggled to hold back his overwhelmed tears. The other two watched Jimin pull his phone from under one of the pillows and unlock it. The blonde scrolled through his apps and pulled up a video of Yoongi charming a wooden car toy to race across Jimin’s thigh. Tae and Jungkook watched the video closely, over and over to make sure it was real and not just some cheap trick. 

“I swear to God, Jimin if this is a stupid joke -” Tae muttered before pulling the phone into his hand to watch the video again. 

“It’s not, I promise,” Jimin’s voice was quiet and Jungkook couldn’t help but feel bad for Jimin. The youngest of the three pulled Jimin into his arms and the blonde relaxed into the embrace, the need to cry slowly ebbing away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did make sure to leave kudos and a comment <3


	14. Must be Exhausting (to lose your own game)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yoongi's windows started rattling against a quickly changing weather. Jimin watched in awe as the clouds in the sky swirled and wrapped around each other, slowly turning grey. Heavy droplets of rain began hitting the windows and a blinding lightning bolt illuminated the sky followed by the loud booming thunder. It was something out of a sci-fi movie and Jimin was only slightly excited to see how the sudden change in weather was going to unfold. The sky was a palette of different shades of grey mixed with the remnants of blue that was quickly being overpowered by the dreary colour. Dawon shook her head excitedly as Yoongi rolled his eyes.
> 
> “What the actual -” Hoseok's voice was drowned out by three quick raps at the door."

Before reaching the edge of the forest, Jimin contemplated heading in on his own. He could remember some of the way to Yoongi’s cottage and he was sure he could bluff the rest of it but Yoongi’s words rang loudly in his ears as he approached their usual meeting spot. ‘The forest is alive, not alive like us - just alive’ It made Jimin’s entire body shiver in a cold sweat as he put one foot in front of the other like a robot. He was happy to see Yoongi, so happy that he felt his entire body turn to jelly the closer he got to the forest, but the thought of meeting all of his friends in the forest unnerved the younger boy. 

He did his best to dress up without looking like he tried too hard, a task accomplished with the help of the group chat, well, Jungkook since Taehyung hasn’t been responding to any of the texts. Shuffling on his feet by the edge of the forest, Jimin bit his lip and looked down at his clothes. A pair of black jeans tucked into black leather boots and an oversized black sweater that swallowed his body and made him feel safe. Thoughts of ways this could go wrong swarmed his mind as he fussed with his red beanie and checked his makeup while he waited for his boyfriend to pick him up. He could say something stupid, or embarrassing or just plain sad and Yoongi’s friends would probably shake their heads and cringe. Jimin didn’t want to embarrass Yoongi and he didn’t want things to be weird if his friends don’t like Jimin. Things would have been so much easier if Jimin didn’t have Taehyung weighing heavily on his mind. 

Meeting Yoongi has been a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts. In the span of a month and a bit, Jimin had felt every emotion under the sun ranging from confusion to anger and love. The younger man didn’t know how it was possible to feel multiple things at once, such contradicting emotions ran his life since he broke into Yoongi’s house yet here he was, waiting for his lover to take him there again and again and again. He couldn’t get enough of Yoongi and he wasn’t sure he minded. 

“Hey,” Yoongi smiled as he walked towards him with his arms open. Jimin grinned and fell into the older boy’s embrace. He let Yoongi wrap his arms around him and finally Jimin could breathe again - it was like Yoongi’s arms were a fortress where nobody could hurt the younger man. His mind cleared up as he burrowed his face in Yoongi’s grey t-shirt. He sighed loudly when the black haired man rubbed soothing circles into his back. 

“Hey,” Jimin mumbled against the fabric, not wanting to move. It was the first time he felt completely sane after he told his friends about Yoongi being a witch on Wednesday. Three days and Jimin finally felt normal again. “I missed you.” 

“I missed you too,” Yoongi spoke softly as he pulled back to look at Jimin whose cheeks were dusted pink and lips bitten raw. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, j-just, uh,” Jimin stuttered as he caught Yoongi’s eyes and lost his breath when they caught his back. Being trapped in Yoongi’s eyes was one of Jimin’s favourite feelings - he felt raw like anything touching him could send his nervous system into a meltdown but at the same time he felt encased in a glass sphere. Like he could see the world moving outside of the cage that was Yoongi’s steeled gaze but couldn’t quite interact with it. 

“Let’s talk about it over tea, yeah?” Yoongi’s voice was kind and reassuring as he tucked a strand of Jimin’s hair behind his ear. He pulled him into a soft kiss, making Jimin melt against him. 

Yoongi led them through the forest expertly, his steps big and confident as Jimin struggled to keep up without feeling like he was being swallowed by the thick mist of tension he felt in the woods. Jimin couldn’t quite explain the way he saw, no, the way he felt the woods. In retrospect, it was just a normal forest with a myriad of colours and trees of every height and width but in reality, it was so much more. Every time Jimin stepped into the phantasm that was Yoongi’s forest he felt his breath be replaced by something else, an unfamiliar haar that invaded his lungs. His shoulders were weighed down by a heavy pressure which hugged his body tightly. His vision blurred around the edges and his limbs went numb almost like he was hanging on the edge of a panic attack. Jimin looked up to see birds following his every move before he looked down to see the entire forest floor angle itself in the direction of Yoongi’s steps. Jimin swallowed thickly. Was the forest showing him the way to Yoongi’s cottage? ‘Because the forest trusts you’ Jimin shivered and picked up his pace to match Yoongi’s. 

The older man’s home stood proudly in the middle of a meadow, entrapped by a white picket fence and surrounded by live gnomes moving from one position to the other. It never failed to amaze Jimin who loved the stained glass on the first floor and the small herb garden in the front yard, the one Yoongi watered every morning and used in his potions. Jimin was yet to see the man at work, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little curious. Yoongi’s cottage was the definition of a dream with its picturesque looks. Jimin could almost taste the electricity that came with being in nature whenever he walked into Yoongi’s meadow. 

They walked in through the front door into the warm living room which was dimly lit by the light coming in through the windows and falling on the quirky furniture adorning the place. Jimin loved the atmosphere, the stacks of books, the mismatched couches, the crystals and the big cauldron in the kitchen. He inhaled deeply as he took his shoes off and Yoongi took his bag from him. Peppermint. 

“So, tea?” Yoongi asked as they moved into the living room. “Actually, I have a better idea.”

“Huh?” Jimin tilted his head at his lover and Yoongi cooed softly at his boyfriend’s confused expression. 

“You’re too cute,” Yoongi muttered as he pulled Jimin closer to him, making the younger man’s breath hitch and his eyelids droop slightly. “I’ll make you a drinking potion.” 

“A-a, what?” Jimin stuttered for the second time that day. He kicked himself mentally for looking like a fool in front of the older man who was nothing but confident. Yoongi chuckled before leaning in to cup Jimin’s cheeks in his big hands. 

“A lavender potion,” he whispered excitedly only for Jimin to nod dumbly. 

They moved into the kitchen where the peppermint brew in the cauldron was boiling, bubbles popping loudly on the surface of the white liquid. It made Jimin’s nose hurt slightly as he peered inside the black cast iron. A sudden urge to recite Macbeth ate at his gut. The potions were Yoongi’s main income which came from selling these bad boys on Etsy to hipsters and Pinterest mums, although Jimin couldn’t understand how someone would want to buy something as potent as whatever brew Yoongi came up with. 

Turning around, he saw Yoongi hard at work. He leaned against the counter and watched his boyfriend place a handful of lavender in a pitcher before pouring boiling water over it. Jimin’s eyes were trained on Yoongi as he began stirring and chanting quietly. His hair was matted to his forehead due to being in a hot kitchen during the beginning of June and his eyes were heavy-lidded as he focused all of his energy into his fingers which glowed a faint lilac colour. He strained the purple liquid into a second pitcher and before Jimin knew it they were both holding a lemon each. 

“Squeeze the lemon into the pitcher and make sure no seeds fall in,” Yoongi’s voice was breezy and calm and it made Jimin happy to see him in his element. He imagined himself doing this forever as he chopped the lemon in two and began squeezing each half into the clear pitcher. 

“There you go,” Yoongi smiled at him after adding the sugar and before he began chanting again, his deep voice was calming as he recited old latin. Jimin watched the glass slowly turning icy as Yoongi opened his eyes to peek at the younger man’s curious expression. He poured the liquid into two tall glasses and they made their way to the living room where they sat on the purple velvet sofa - they sat close together, Yoongi feet propped up on a small leather stool and Jimin’s legs laid across his. Their bodies were so close to each other that Jimin could feel every beat of Yoongi’s heart and could feel every exhale on his neck. He sighed contently before resting his head on Yoongi’s shoulder. If only he could stay here forever.

Jimin enjoyed the feeling of Yoongi all around him, he liked feeling like he belonged in Yoongi’s world in one way or another. Not necessarily because of his magic, although Jimin was definitely curious and thoroughly impressed every time the older man showed off, but because Yoongi’s presence made him feel complete, unbroken and wholesome for the first time in his life, it made him feel alive and safe and sometimes, late at night, Jimin wondered if that was his body and mind reacting to the magic surrounding his boyfriend or just the older man’s charm. The older boy watched as Jimin took a tentative sip of his drink only for his nose to scrunch up cutely, the taste of the lemon overpowering the lavender and the sugar. 

“Now, tell me what’s been bothering you,” Yoongi spoke slowly and softly as Jimin swirled the ice around his glass, avoiding his boyfriend’s eyes. 

“It’s just -” he sighed. “I told Tae and Jungkook on Wednesday night and things are weird now.”

“Weird how?”

“Jungkook was interested the moment I blurted it out, he wanted to see evidence so I showed him the video of the toy car and he’s been asking me about it ever since, like I know much anyway,” Jimin scoffed before taking another sip of his drink, the taste was slowly becoming addicting. Yoongi smirked. 

“And Taehyung?” The brunette asked, his heartbeat picking up slightly. 

“Well, he’s always been protective of Jungkook and me and to be fair I can’t blame him, his parents have always been hot and cold with him and people didn’t like him much because he’s the mayor’s nephew so the three of us are very close, which is why I felt bad about not being honest with them. 

“Anyway, he freaked out, didn’t believe a word I was saying. Then on Thursday, he sent me a text asking if it was a joke, I told him it was not a joke. Radio silence until Friday when he texted me again to tell me he was confused and needed answers, I told him I don’t know what to do about that and it’s been quiet ever since,” Yoongi nodded his head thoughtfully and Jimin watched the way his lover’s facial features morphed as he worked though Jimin’s worries. It wasn’t like Jimin wanted to stress him out with his friend problems, he didn’t and he was already feeling guilty. Yoongi already trusted him with a lot of heavy secrets, things that could be potentially dangerous to his life and Jimin didn’t want to put him at risk. It wasn’t like Jimin didn’t trust his friends, he trusted them with his life, he just didn’t know if they could come back from this. 

“Bring them over next Saturday, I’ll show them,” Yoongi said simply and Jimin had to stop himself from turning around too fast and dumping lemonade of Yoongi. 

“Here?” 

“Mhm,” Yoongi smiled softly at him before taking his drink out of his hand and placing it on the coffee table. Swiftly, he pulled Jimin on his lap facing him and gripped the younger’s hips, making him gasp. Jimin’s heart was hammering against his ribs as he placed his palms on Yoongi’s chest before coiling his arms around his lover’s neck. Jimin leaned in to catch Yoongi’s lips with his own as Yoongi’s hands slid under Jimin’s black sweater to caress the hot skin. The blonde shivered only to be startled by a loud meow. Jimin pulled back to look at Moony who stared right into his soul. 

“For fuck’s sake, Moony,” Yoongi muttered and the cat stretched its entire body before plopping down on the couch next to them. “You’re being rude.” 

The cat meowed again and Jimin could feel his own eyebrows shoot up in confusion. “I feel dirty.” 

“He’s an asshole,” Yoongi muttered before pulling Jimin into another kiss. “Ignore him.” 

They continued to kiss under Moony’s persistent glare until Yoongi pushed him off the couch. The cat meowed in protest as Yoongi’s hands moved to Jimin’s ass to pull him closer. Jimin felt his entire body catch on fire the more Yoongi touched him, almost like he had been asleep and the mere touch of his lover could push Jimin over the edge. The younger shuddered as he felt Yoongi’s hands roam over his body like molten lava lapping at his skin. He pulled Yoongi’s hair as the older man kissed his jaw before moving to pepper kisses down the side of his throat only to be pulled apart by two loud knocks on the door. 

Yoongi swore under his breath as Jimin climbed off his lap and began fixing himself up. Standing up, Jimin watched Yoongi walk towards the door and open it to Hoseok and Dawon who looked like the twins from The Shining standing in the doorway of Yoongi’s cottage. Dawon was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a dusty-pink silk blouse hung loosely off her thin frame whereas her brother was wearing a pair of black jean shorts and a loose black t-shirt topped off with a black bucket hat. Jimin swallowed the lump in his throat and willed himself to relax. ‘It’s just Hoseok and Dawon, nothing new, they’re nice people.’

“Finally, I thought you said you’d be here at 4,” Yoongi’s tone was playful as he let the two in and took their jackets. 

“We like to be fashionably late,” Dawon said sweetly. “Hi, Jimin!”

“Hey -” Jimin cursed himself for being so awkward but was cut short by Hoseok pulling him into a tight hug. “N-nice to see you too!”

“Are Joonie and Jinnie coming too?” Dawon asked as they all sat down on the couch, watching Yoongi pour his lavender lemonade like the good host he was. 

“Namjoon arrived back in town earlier today and Jin made it back three days ago, I think.” 

Spending time with Yoongi’s friends was weirdly nice. Jimin could remember looking up to them when they were in high school and here he was at nineteen, in a cottage in the forest with his boyfriend Yoongi and his two close friends, waiting for their other two best friends. Jimin would have laughed if his chest wasn’t tight with worry that he’ll say or do something stupid. Yoongi showed Dawon his house as Hoseok and Jimin remained seated on the couch, quietly sipping their drinks and looking awkwardly around the room. Hoseok watched Jimin with a small smile on his face as the younger man avoided his eyes and focused on one of the many crystals Yoongi had laying around his house. 

“So, Yoongi’s a witch,” Hoseok broke the silence and effectively scaring Jimin out of his skin. The younger jumped in place and covered his chest as Hoseok laughed. 

“Uh, yeah,” Jimin muttered, not sure where the conversation was going. They listened to Dawon and Yoongi muted voices as they talked excitedly about Yoongi’s library. 

“What do you think about that?” A switch flipped inside Jimin’s head as he realized that he was being interrogated by Yoongi’s friend. Breathing in through his nose, Jimin exhaled before looking up at Hoseok who was lounging comfortably with his drink in hand. Jimin realized that this was the moment he was dreading, the moment when he could say something wrong and make Yoongi’s friends hate him but as he watched Hoseok’s confidence drip off him in waves, he felt his jaw tighten. 

“What do you think about it?” Hoseok grinned and pulled himself together. 

“I think it’s weird and cool and scary and I think you’re freaked out,” Jimin rolled his eyes as he sipped his drink, slowly relaxing. “I mean, I was freaking out too when he told me.” 

Jimin nodded, trying to hold in the sarcastic ‘no shit, dude’ response that threatened to roll off his tongue. “Who found out first?” 

“Jin,” Hoseok shrugged and downed the rest of his drink before squirming from the strong lemon taste. “Not surprising, to be honest, him and Yoongi have always been very close.” 

“I keep hearing about him,” Jimin muttered as Yoongi and Dawon walked down the stairs talking about whatever crystal Dawon took a liking to. 

“You’ll see,” Hoseok grinned before returning his attention to his sister and his best friend. Yoongi came to sit down next to Jimin whose heart threatened to give out under Hoseok’s mischievous eyes and his sister’s knowing stare. 

“You asshole, why didn’t you tell me Yoongi has a cool library in his own house? I would have visited sooner if I knew,” Jimin noticed that Dawon’s voice was always sweet but there was almost always a bite to it, almost like a thorny rose or a bee. 

“That’s always a fan favourite,” Yoongi scoffed and Hoseok rolled his eyes, probably already sick of hearing about Yoongi’s hoarding problem. “Jimin literally forgot about me when he first saw it.” 

“I could never, you were bringing me tea,” Dawon laughed as Yoongi shook his head and bumped Jimin’s shoulder with his own before the three booming knocks on the main door made them all jump. 

“This has to be Namjoon,” Hoseok squealed as he ran to the door and swung it open to reveal a tall man whose eyes were big and whose skin was made of honey. Jimin watched in awe as Namjoon stepped over the threshold confidently. Namjoon was dressed in a pair of blue mom jeans, a loose white t-shirt and a muted green jean jacket which matched his dark brown hair perfectly. Hoseok jumped into Namjoon’s arms as soon as he opened the door and Dawon rolled her eyes before making her way over to join the hug. 

“Okay, okay, my turn,” Yoongi muttered grumpily as Namjoon pulled him into a tight hug. 

“You must be Jimin, nice to meet you,” feeling his heart swoon inside his chest, Jimin noticed Namjoon’s two dimples. 

“Likewise,” Jimin’s voice was shy and he could almost hear Hoseok laugh internally as Namjoon shook his hand. The younger watched Yoongi and his friends banter and felt a pang in his chest knowing that his relationship with his own two best friends was rocky. Something ugly settled in the pit of his stomach as Yoongi involved Jimin into their conversation about Namjoon’s trip and the Jung sibling’s decision to open their own dance studio. The more he watched them be comfortable with each other the more Jimin wanted to run to Jungkook and Taehyung and demand to be cuddled by the two. 

“Dude I sat next to this lady on the train and she pulled an actual cat out of her fucking bag,” Namjoon’s way of speaking was entertaining but Moony’s reaction to the cat being pulled out of a bag was what made them all laugh. The cat huffed and walked away angrily before Yoongi could pick him up. 

“You always have these weird ass experiences when you come home,” said Hoseok and Dawon nodded thoughtfully. 

“Didn’t you get a free meal from one of our old professors because he thought you’re cute?” Jimin raised his eyebrow at Yoongi who sighed. 

“Namjoon gets hit on by old people -” 

“That’s only because they see me as their son,” Namjoon said casually. 

“That's low-key creepy,” Jimin said before Yoongi's windows started rattling against a quickly changing weather. Jimin watched in awe as the clouds in the sky swirled and wrapped around each other, slowly turning grey. Heavy droplets of rain began hitting the windows and a blinding lightning bolt illuminated the sky followed by the loud booming thunder. It was something out of a sci-fi movie and Jimin was only slightly excited to see how the sudden change in weather was going to unfold. The sky was a palette of different shades of grey mixed with the remnants of blue that was quickly being overpowered by the dreary colour. Dawon shook her head excitedly as Yoongi rolled his eyes. 

“What the actual -” Hoseok's voice was drowned out by three quick raps at the door. Yoongi shook his head before walking over to open the door. Jimin was glued to the sofa as he watched the sky rage and the door swing open to reveal Jin looking mildly amused and bride-to-be looking smug. Jimin swallowed thickly. Her hair was black and long, her eyes a pair of almonds and her lips blood red and Jimin still felt small, electrified by her mere presence. She was wearing a pair of high-waisted blue jeans and a pretty, flowy white blouse tucked into the waist of her jeans with lace detailing around her neck. Jimin couldn't help but notice how good Jin and bride-to-be looked together, almost like they stepped out of a fashion magazine right into Yoongi's living room. 

“You and your stupid grand entrances,” Yoongi quipped before throwing his arms around Jin who hugged the shorter male closer to his chest. Yoongi pulled back and shook bride-to-be’s hand as the rest of the boys stood up to greet the two. Jimin’s guts twisted as he remembered the woman from Wednesday morning and how the entire atmosphere changed when she walked into The Wallflower. Jimin swallowed heavily, feeling small in her presence - again. 

“We finally meet,” bride-to-be smiles and shakes Yoongi’s hand before paying the same respect to Hoseok, Dawon and Namjoon. Jin introduced bride-to-be as his girlfriend and the three friends ‘ahh’ed knowingly, leaving Jimin confused. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you too,” Yoongi said as he urged everyone to move further into the house. “This is Jimin, my -” 

“Boyfriend!” Jin exclaimed and shook Jimin’s hand confidently, the kind of confident that Jimin associated with high-class people like Taehyung’s family and the Mayor. 

“Yeah, the boyfriend,” Jimin smiled and willed himself to relax, even though Seulgi’s eyes bore holes into his skin and made every hair on his body stand up. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

“You keep saying that but we’ve known each other since we were kids,” Hoseok laughed only for Dawon to shake her head. 

“Yeah, but you didn’t really know him, did you?” Namjoon and Seokjin hummed, agreeing with Dawon. 

“Thank you for the flowers, Jimin. Seokjin’s grandmother loved them,” Seulgi finally addressed Jimin whose eyes darted towards her only to lower to the ground from the intensity of her gaze. Her energy made Jimin want to dig himself a grave which he couldn’t understand. Not being able to understand his own feelings and thoughts was really starting to get on Jimin’s nerves. 

“Ah, yeah, no problem,” he said, willing himself to relax and enjoy spending time with his boyfriend’s friends. 

“You two know each other?” Jin asked and Seulgi nodded. Her grin made Jimin shiver. 

“Yeah, I met him when I went to buy flowers for your parents,” the conversation kept going as the evening went on. Yoongi and Jin cooked dinner as everyone worked on getting to know each other, especially Seulgi who seemed to be the main centre of attention. Jimin couldn’t deny that she was pretty and fierce and a force of nature to be reckoned with. From the way she moved and all the way down to her stare she reminded Jimin of a stormy, raging sea but nobody else seemed affected by the electricity that followed her every movement. 

Jimin busied himself by talking to Namjoon about his degree. The older man was studying law in Seoul and was back for the summer because his girlfriend went on a family trip to Europe. Namjoon was soft-spoken and eloquent and brought an air of comfort to their conversation as they focused on the different elements of Namjoon’s law degree and on his plans thereafter. Jimin would have been lying if he said he wasn’t taken by Namjoon whose eyes shone brightly every time Jimin showed any interest in his studies and whose dimples decorated his face when they began bonding over their shared love of literature and history. 

“The professor I’m interning for studied history for a while, he mainly focused on ancient civilizations rather than wars, though,” Namjoon’s attention was solely on Jimin as he spoke quietly, ignoring the loud ruckus going on in the background. They ended up sitting next to each other on the floor, drinking coffee and discussing the many wars Jimin had studied extensively in his degree and mutually decided that the ancient civilizations were a much cooler subject to study. 

“Have you guys heard about all the animal attacks going on around here?” Seokjin’s voice rumbled through the house, effectively scaring a sleeping Moony and making Jimin’s heart drop into his stomach. The older man was in the kitchen next to Yoongi, both of them wearing cute aprons and fussing over the oven. 

“Yeah, we witnessed one,” Hoseok spoke quickly around the fistful of crisps he shoved in his mouth and Dawon nodded thoughtfully. “The night we went to Taehyung’s house.”

“Well, we didn’t see the attack, we saw the aftermath,” Dawon corrected her brother.

Yoongi looked up to see Jimin tense up. “Probably some rabid animal.” 

“I don’t think so,” Seokjin shook his head as he stirred vigorously inside a massive pot. “I talked to Seungri and he said the victims were dead before they were mauled.” 

“Seungri?” Jimin asked loudly, making everyone turn their attention to him. He was still sat on the floor next to Namjoon, coffee in hand, but his heart was hammering out of his chest. 

“Yeah, he works for the newspaper,” Seokjin muttered and Jimin noticed Seulgi’s curious eyes dart between her boyfriend and Jimin. “I mean, I wasn’t supposed to tell you this.” 

“Is this information going to be released to the public?” Yoongi asked and Hoseok hummed to show his engagement. Dawon rolled her eyes and stood up to stretch her legs. 

“I’m not sure, he said not to tell anyone else so it’s either that it won’t be released or that they’re taking their time with it.” 

“You’d think they’d be quick to give people some peace of mind,” Seulgi said and Namjoon shook his head. 

“Well, it’s either an animal going rampant killing people or it’s a person on a killing spree, neither of those would give people peace of mind,” Namjoon’s logic made Hoseok nod thoughtfully, showing that he was indeed paying attention. 

The rest of them kept discussing the gory details of the animal attacks as Jimin fumbled for his phone, stood up and excused himself into the garden. The moment the cold air hit his face his chest expanded and he could finally breathe normally. Being away from Seulgi made the buzzing in his head go away. Jimin moved further into the backyard and pulled his phone up. He swiped across the screen and pulled Taehyung’s contact up before he dialled his number. He waited anxiously for his friend to pick up and felt his entire body relax when he did. Taehyung’s voice was groggy and tired and the cacophony of voices in the background was giving Jimin a headache. 

“Tae, do you know who Seungri is?” 

“Uh, yeah, he works for my dad, why?” 

“I’m pretty sure he’s going around telling strangers details about the animal attacks that haven’t been released yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Evanescence - Call Me When You're Sober
> 
> Make sure to leave a comment (and kudos!) <3


	15. Am I Too High (a step too low)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Don’t be so nervous,” Yoongi held Jimin’s chin before he pecked his lips softly, drawing a soft sigh from the younger man. 
> 
> “Why aren’t you nervous?” Jimin pouted. He played with the hem of his lover’s black hoodie to rid himself of the awkward ache in his bones. 
> 
> “Because he’s not a little bitch,” Jungkook’s voice bellowed from inside the house. Jimin rolled his eyes and Yoongi chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incredibly late chapter but I had so so much trouble writing this one for some reason... anyway, it's finally here! 
> 
> Full disclaimer: I know about the Seungri situation and the last chapter was written way before I knew about it (I'm not even sure if the news had come out by the time I posted chapter 14). Still, I decided to keep him in the story simply because it would be weird to go back and change the character. He is not a character that will show up but rather someone to further the plot and won't be mentioned a lot if at all. I do not agree with any of the things he's being accused of and I feel for the victims! Still, I understand if this bothers you and you choose not to keep reading.

Folding into himself has never been a big issue for Jimin. Inside rubble is just that - fragments of collapsed walls he built and rebuilt - hidden from the rest of the world, tucked tightly somewhere between his heart and his lungs, making it hard to breathe sometimes. He’s always been a gap between two people and he never really knew who he was in a big crowd. Jimin knew what it felt like to be invisible and small, a product of too much introspection and too little reassurance but not once did he think he’d feel that way around his two best friends. 

Jungkook was raiding the pantry as Jimin kissed his grandmother’s forehead. He looked over her sleeping face - tired eyes and laugh lines galore - and he smiled softly to himself. She had a good day after coming home from her knitting club and she even read some of her old poetry so Jimin was happy to see her so peacefully tired out. Sighing, he turned around and walked out of her room, making sure not to close it all the way. 

Waiting for Taehyung and Yoongi made Jimin’s chest ache and his stomach cringe. At first, they thought that meeting Yoongi at his cottage in the forest would be a good idea but the closer they got to the date the more Jimin doubted it. He didn’t want to invade Yoongi’s space and he didn’t want to make his friends uncomfortable by dragging them through a forest they were told to never go into so they decided to sleep over at Jimin’s house. They’d all get a chance to really get to know each other in an informal setting and Jimin could always pull out some Vodka and drown himself in it. 

“Okay, what’s wrong?” Jungkook asked around a mouthful of marshmallows he found in Jimin’s pantry. The younger of the two was perched up on the counter next to Grey who was softly batting at his elbow, begging for sweets. Jungkook did a good job of ignoring her. 

“Are-are you that oblivious?” Jungkook laughed as Jimin’s eyes widened and his lips formed a pout, his indignation coming out of him like spears. 

“No, but come on, this can’t go worse than that time you -” 

“Alright, that’s enough,” Jimin shuddered and sat down across from his best friend - he didn’t know which embarrassing memory Jungkook was going to bring up but he had enough to worry about without Jungkook reminding him of his bad decisions. 

On the other hand, Jungkook took the news of Yoongi being a witch quite easily. He was even excited about the prospect of something interesting finally happening in their small town and Jimin couldn’t really blame him. He often laid in bed, tossing and turning and thinking of all the ways magic escaped him like a sliver of dust passing by. He wondered if he saw it but passed it off as a daydream or a shred of hope on a drunken night out. Jimin thought about asking Yoongi all these questions, simple yet intricate all at once but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answers to those questions for the fear of Yoongi reiterating his plainness. 

The doorbell rang loudly and made both men jump out of their seats. Grey meowed loudly and ran towards the door with Jimin close on her tail. He fixed his clothes and his hair in the long hallway mirror before opening the front door to Yoongi who seemed to glow against the peachy violet sky and green grass. His eyes sparkled and his cheeks were flushed as he pulled Jimin into a tight hug. Jimin inhaled the forest and whatever potion Yoongi was brewing before he made his way to Jimin’s house. He wrapped his arms around Yoongi’s waist and pulled him closer, finally feeling like he could breathe again. 

“Don’t be so nervous,” Yoongi held Jimin’s chin before he pecked his lips softly, drawing a soft sigh from the younger man. 

“Why aren’t you nervous?” Jimin pouted. He played with the hem of his lover’s black hoodie to rid himself of the awkward ache in his bones. 

“Because he’s not a little bitch,” Jungkook’s voice bellowed from inside the house. Jimin rolled his eyes and Yoongi chuckled. 

They made their way into the kitchen with Grey rubbing her back against Yoongi’s legs. Yoongi took his time to appreciate Jimin’s house, he enjoyed the little details from the photo frames adorning the walls to the colourful flowers strewn on end tables and old-timey cushions, probably sewn by Jimin’s grandmother. The kitchen was exactly the way he imagined it to be - bright and airy but cosy nonetheless. Yoongi could see the settling of time on the grey toaster which looked like it came from the fifties and he appreciated the way Jungkook fit in with the aesthetic - his hoodie was tattered and the round, thin glasses perched on his nose made him tie in with his surroundings. The younger man’s back was towards him as he stirred in a big pot of what smelled like a stew. 

Jimin ‘tsk’ed loudly before he went on his tip-toes to pop Jungkook across the back of the head. “Talking about little bitches like you know shit.”

“Little bitches,” Jungkook mocked Jimin before wiping his hands on his jeans and extending his hand to Yoongi who shook it firmly. “Nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” Jimin busied himself with the coffee pot as his boyfriend and his best friend sat at the round table, chatting about their week. The atmosphere was light and for a moment, as he poured piping hot coffee into his favourite pink mug, Jimin calmed down. He could see this working out, no matter how weird or difficult it was. He could see himself having coffee with Yoongi and Jungkook at the Atlas or helping Tae fix his motorcycle in the summer while Yoongi complained about the heat. Jimin smiled, yeah, he could get used to this.

Jimin has never been one to be nervous around people, that is until he met Yoongi and his friends and he hasn’t been able to string a sentence together since. He kicked himself over it throughout the week, picking apart everything that happened at Yoongi’s cottage the week before when he met Yoongi’s friends. Namjoon was a complete sweetheart, he was loud and boisterous but insanely smart and Jimin just wanted to listen to him talk about history and law. Jin was fun too, although he came across as someone who could pull the ground from under Jimin’s feet if he wanted to. He kind of reminded Jimin of Hoseok whose eyes bore holes into Jimin’s body whenever the older man looked his way. Jimin felt his cheeks heat up as he remembered Hoseok’s smirk and just how feral he looked. 

Shaking his head, Jimin placed the mug in front of Yoongi before sitting down next to him. The two were currently having a conversation about Yoongi’s father and his construction company. Jimin noted quietly that Jungkook was still looking for a second job and that he in fact completely forgot about Yoongi’s proposition. 

“Yeah, I talked with my dad about it and he’s happy to hire you for the summer,” Yoongi’s voice was low, honeyed and a little bit rough after drinking the bitter coffee. Jimin’s eyes shifted as he felt Yoongi’s leg slide up against his. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose or anything,” Jungkook spoke softly, his tone serious even though he had armfuls of Grey who spilt over like cupcake batter in a too-small pan and stretched languidly as if made out of water, clearly enjoying being close to Jungkook. 

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t want to, plus he’s going to need a lot of help now that he signed up for the town’s fair,” Yoongi shrugged and leaned over to offer his hand to Grey. The cat smelled his fingers tentatively before shyly butting her head against his knuckles. Loud purrs filled their ears the moment she touched Yoongi who grinned to himself. 

“She likes you,” Jimin muttered, his eyes still trained on his boyfriend and the way Yoongi smiled softly at Grey. 

“She likes feeding off my energy,” Yoongi responded simply, making Jimin bite his lip. He wasn’t exactly sure how they’ll approach the magic conversation, he wasn’t even sure if he had a right to be a part of the conversation given that he wasn’t actually a witch, just happened to be falling in love with one. Jungkook eyed Yoongi for a while before speaking up, his interest obviously at an all-time high. 

“Does it affect her in any way?” 

“What, my energy?” Jungkook nodded as Grey stood up and stretched in his lap. “Everyone has energy, mine’s just a lot stronger. Ever met someone and decided you don’t like them even before they open their mouth? Well, that’s probably because their energy was off.” 

“So technically -” they all jumped when three loud raps at the front door disturbed the silence. The room became quiet and Jimin felt a prickle of annoyance with himself, he didn’t like the tension and he didn’t like to make a big deal out of things that could be avoided. Still, Jimin swallowed the lump in his throat and stood up, ignoring Jungkook and Yoongi who stood up too. He made his way towards the front door slowly, trying to think of ways this could go. He could open the door to his best friend who would be apologetic for not texting him for an entire week or he could be opening the door to his best friend who’d want to interrogate and possibly scare Yoongi away. Jimin stopped in front of the solid white door made out of oak with six frosted glass panels on each door. Taehyung’s dark silhouette made Jimin shiver slightly before he flung the door open. 

Taehyung has always been drop dead gorgeous in a way that didn’t fit their small town. His hair was newly dyed a fiery shade of red and his clothes didn’t quite match the casual aesthetic of their town. He was dressed to impress in a pair of tight-fitted leather jeans, white t-shirt and a colourfully knitted cardigan. Jimin couldn’t help but admire the sight that was Kim Taehyung who was holding his motorcycle helmet and a bottle of tequila. 

Taehyung, on the other hand, was rooted in one spot across from Jimin who wouldn’t meet his eyes, whose fingers played with the hem of his cosy yellow sweater and who seemed to feel out of place in his own home. He felt his chest tighten with newfound worry as he watched Jimin sway on his feet, clearly not able to look him in the eye. Taehyung knew his best friends like the back of his hand - he knew their quirks and habits, their reactions and thoughts yet seeing Jimin so greatly affected by their row made Taehyung's chest ache. 

Sighing, he dropped the helmet and the bottle by his feet and pulled his best friend to his chest. Jimin inhaled the sweet scent that was Taehyung as he wrapped his arms around his friend and bunched the soft cardigan material in his fist, afraid to let go. Jimin allowed himself to breathe freely again as he felt his worries roll off him in waves. Taehyung squeezed him tightly to his chest. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you like this,” Taehyung’s voice was low and rumbly, coming straight from his chest and into Jimin’s, making him blush. “If I knew, but you never react like this when we fight and...” 

“But this wasn’t a fight, in a fight, I know where I stand and this time I didn’t.” Jimin’s voice was muffled by Taehyung’s shoulder. He didn’t like how quiet and soft his voice was, he wanted to be angry with Taehyung, he wanted to tell him off for putting him through the wringer for the past week and a half but he didn’t have it in him to put all the blame on his best friend. Not when it clearly affected him too. 

The house smelled lovely of beef stew and coffee as Taehyung and Jimin walked into the kitchen where Yoongi was setting the table. The atmosphere was odd and off-putting as Taehyung looked Yoongi up and down, trying to understand how the older boy in front of him could possess the power to make objects move. 

“Hey,” Taehyung said simply and extended his hand in an amiable gesture. Yoongi smiled and shook his hand. Jimin watched everyone interact from the smallest (Grey) to the biggest (Jungkook). He observed the amiable chatter, the slightly awkward body language as they all moved around the kitchen to set the table. Yoongi and Jungkook plated the food while Tae raided the pantry for drinks and Jimin couldn’t help but sigh softly to himself. 

The food turned out great and the wine was decent given that Tae has never been good at picking wine - he preferred tequila instead. They ate in silence except for Grey’s pitter-patter, low whines and the occasional chatter. Tae told them about the latest gossip in the town hall and Jungkook told them about Mrs Choi’s run-in with a burglar the week before. 

“Why would anybody want to break into Mrs Choi’s house?” Jimin pondered as he began clearing the table. He was going to deal with the dishes in the morning, for now, he needed some real alcohol in his system. 

“You think it has anything to do with the animal attacks?” Yoongi mumbled and Taehyung shook his head. 

“Let’s stop calling them that - but no, I don’t think so. I heard a couple of people gossip about it and apparently, her grandson has been getting into trouble,” Jungkook scoffed at Taehyung’s hum of approval. Anybody causing minor trouble fed into Taehyung’s love of drama and gossip. 

“What kind of trouble?” Yoongi asked - as someone who wasn’t really a town’s citizen he wasn’t exactly caught up to date with the latest gossip. 

“Getting high and stealing from his grandmother so he can keep getting high,” Jimin spoke casually as the three turned to look at him. He was currently on his tip-toes, looking for glasses in a cabinet that always gave him trouble. Taehyung chuckled and pushed him out of the way. 

“I mean come on, there are better ways of getting around the money issue,” Jungkook’s tone was indignant at best. “I mowed lawns for months before I could even dream of affording a second-hand camera.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s not going to mow lawns for weed,” Yoongi scoffed and Taehyung chuckled, enjoying Yoongi’s dry sense of humour. They made their way into the living room with Grey right behind them. Jimin and Yoongi poured the alcohol while Tae and Jungkook picked a movie, something to drown out the awkward silence. 

They settled on the floor in front of the coffee table, each with a drink in hand and a new teen movie playing quietly in the background. Grey was perched lightly on Taehyung#s lap, her tail swishing pleasantly to match Jimin’s heartbeat. He was finally able to relax as they talked quietly. Jimin was highly aware of Yoongi’s proximity, the way their knees touched or the way their fingers somehow found each other. He enjoyed the quiet chatter as Yoongi’s thumb ran over his knuckles, soothing every muscle in his body. 

“What did you find out about Seungri?” Jungkook asked Taehyung who was fiddling with the tequila bottle, amusing Grey with the way the light bounced off the bottle and onto the floor. 

“Not much, I managed to sneak into my mum’s office to look into his employee file but I didn’t find much. His family’s relatively wealthy and they’re close friends with my uncle and Jin’s grandparents.” 

“This is nepotism at its finest,” Jungkook grumbled and Jimin nodded - the most he got out of his grandparents’ status in town is a couple of discounts at the supermarket. “And you can’t tell your parents about it?” 

Taehyung scoffed and rolled his eyes, clearly amused by the naive question coming from the youngest in the room. Jimin smiled. 

“Not if he’s doing the same thing,” Yoongi piped in as Grey walked over to him. Jungkook frowned and took a sip of his tequila. 

“Did you find anything else about the case?” Jimin asked as Taehyung poured another round of drinks. 

“Well, not really. They’re still trying to figure out the link between the victims but there’s no link from what I’ve read in the police reports,” Taehyung’s voice was a drawl, almost as if he was tired of the conversation. Jimin could understand his apathy, having to question his own family and finding out that they’re hiding things from the public must have been difficult. But he also knew Taehyung, he knew that his best friend would be the first to jump on an opportunity like this. 

“And if they were dead before they were mauled that could mean they were killed and then left out for an animal,” Yoongi stretched and yawned before drinking from his own cup. 

“But that would require a connection between the victims, right?” Jimin asked, feeling the warmth in his stomach moving to sit high on his cheeks. He rubbed his face to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling. 

“Maybe Yoongi could help us figure that out with his magic!” The sarcasm dripped out of Taehyung’s mouth, making Jungkook and Yoongi chuckle. Jimin rolled his eyes. 

“The world would be a perfect place if that was the case,” Yoongi answered easily, probably expecting something like this to happen. He squeezed Jimin’s hand with his own before continuing. “I can’t just cast a spell to find a criminal, that’s not how this thing works.” 

“So how does it work?” Jungkook asked with his mouth full of crisps. 

“It’s all based on energy - don’t look at me like that - everything around us has energy, some things more than others so witches rely on energy to cast spells and charms,” Jimin watched Yoongi light up the room the more he spoke about his magic. His lips formed a cute pout and his hands came up to gesticulate as he explained each energy, the earth, fire, wind, water and the spirit and how each of those helps him harness the correct energy to cast spells and charms. Jimin was sure he was staring at his boyfriend with heart eyes. 

“What’s the difference between a spell and a charm?” Taehyung was reluctant to speak up, no matter how sarcastic or sceptical he was, he also didn’t know whether they should trust something like this. Just because Jimin showed him the twenty-second clip of a car being pulled by, well, nothing doesn’t mean it’s real. 

“Spells are usually directing energy so for example, you could cast a spell to change the weather - that’s if you’re strong enough - whereas a charm is focusing on an object so for example I could charm Jimin’s cheeks to sparkle,” Yoongi turned towards Jimin whose eyes doubled under everyone’s attention. He gave Yoongi a small smile as his cheeks heated up again before nodding, allowing Yoongi to demonstrate. The older man’s sprawled out fingers hovered above his cheeks as Jimin closed his eyes. The heat radiating from the tips of his fingers and the audible gasps made Jimin shrink into himself. Suddenly, as Yoongi pulled away Jimin felt his cheeks cool down and his skin tingle. He opened his eyes to his two best friends hovering above him, clearly interested in his sparkly cheeks. 

“What the actual fuck…?” Taehyung mumbled as he poked Jimin’s cheek, making him growl under his breath. Yoongi chuckled. 

“Are those stars dancing?” Jungkook’s voice was higher than he’s ever heard before. 

“Can I see?” Jimin whispered only for Yoongi to pull out his phone and open the camera app. Jimin picked it up and checked his cheeks which were indeed sparkling. Little stars of gold and blue danced along his tanned skin, right under his eyes and across the bridge of his nose. He felt a small smile tug at his lips as he touched his cheeks, his skin fluttered under his fingertips. 

“So you charmed his cheeks?” Yoongi nodded, clearly enjoying the way Jimin was playing with his own charmed cheeks. 

“Yeah, I do the same to my eyes and hair,” he said, pointing to his blue-ish eyes.

“Ha, you’ve got charming eyes,” Jungkook laughed, clearly tipsy on his third glass of tequila. 

“Okay loverboy, stick to your Lisa,” Jimin snarked playfully only for Yoongi to laugh. “About Lisa…”

“Oh don’t start now,” Jungkook whined before he picked up Grey and raised her to his face. “Tell Jimin to stop talking about my girlfriend!” 

“But is she really -” Taehyung laughed before a shove from Jungkook made him choke on his saliva. 

The night ended late with Taehyung and Jungkook staggering up the stairs towards Jimin’s old bedroom. They usually slept in the living room or in Jimin’s bedroom but this time they made their way to the spare room on their own to give Jimin and Yoongi some privacy. Their steps and mumbles echoed throughout the house and Jimin was grateful that his grandmother was a heavy sleeper. 

Sighing, Jimin stood up to clean the glasses and the empty bottle. 

“Let me help,” Yoongi murmured from behind as he picked up his and Jimin’s glasses. They made their way to the kitchen where they dropped the glasses in the sink and the bottle in the trash. Jimin was exhausted after a long day with his grandmother and all he wanted to do was to cuddle Yoongi to sleep. 

“Do you have to wake up early?” Yoongi’s voice rang from behind him, it was low and rumbly, laced with tequila and love. Jimin shook his head and turned around to see his boyfriend leaning against the counter with his hands in his pockets and a dopey smile on his face. The younger sighed again before letting his boyfriend pull him against his warm chest. The kitchen felt bigger when he was in Yoongi’s arms, almost like their embrace was its own entity separate from their physical surroundings - the idea that Yoongi could make him feel like he was up in space rather than down on earth made Jimin’s heart flutter. The younger pulled away slightly to look his boyfriend in the eyes and Yoongi’s palm came up to cradle his cheek only for Jimin to burrow his face into Yoongi’s palm, seeking the comfort his boyfriend was offering. 

“You look so pretty with stars on your cheeks,” Yoongi murmured before leaning down to kiss the faint but still dancing sparkles. Jimin giggled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title song: Cinema Bizarre - Heaven is Wrapped in Chains


End file.
